Glaucoma

Glaucoma is one of the oldest and most widely cited medical uses of cannabis, and it is also one of the most frequently misunderstood. We think patients are better served by an honest account than by an enthusiastic one.

What Glaucoma Is

Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve, most often in association with raised pressure inside the eye. Because peripheral vision is usually affected first and the loss is gradual, many patients do not notice it until significant damage has occurred. Vision lost to glaucoma cannot be recovered, which is why lowering intraocular pressure to prevent further damage is the central goal of every treatment.

What the Evidence Supports

Cannabis does reduce intraocular pressure. That effect has been documented since the 1970s and is not in dispute.

The complication is duration. The pressure-lowering effect is relatively short-lived, typically lasting a few hours, whereas glaucoma requires pressure to be controlled continuously, day and night. Maintaining that around the clock with cannabis alone would mean dosing frequently enough to leave a patient persistently intoxicated, which is neither practical nor safe. There is also research suggesting cannabis may reduce blood flow to the optic nerve, which would work against the goal of protecting it.

For these reasons, major ophthalmology bodies do not recommend cannabis as a replacement for established glaucoma treatment, and neither do we.

Where Cannabinoid Therapy Can Still Help

This does not mean cannabis has no place for glaucoma patients. It can be genuinely useful for the symptoms that accompany the condition and its treatment, including chronic eye pain and headache, the anxiety that follows a diagnosis carrying the risk of sight loss, nausea related to certain medications, and disturbed sleep.

It may also be relevant for patients whose glaucoma sits alongside other conditions we treat, where a single plan can address several problems at once.

Our Position

If you have glaucoma, continue with your ophthalmologist's prescribed treatment. Cannabinoid therapy at Cura Vida is offered as a complement to that care and never as a substitute for it. Our physicians will tell you plainly whether we believe it will help in your case.

Your Treatment Plan at Cura Vida

Glaucoma patients receive a full assessment and, where treatment is appropriate, a plan coordinated with their ophthalmologist. Medical cannabis treatment should always be supervised by a qualified physician.