CBD and glaucoma: effective or not?

CBD is often considered a miracle cure for all diseases. Although it can be effective in many cases, for glaucoma it is not recommended. You can learn more about this in the following.

Why should I avoid using CBD for glaucoma?

Generally, when you find yourself sick and desperate, all solutions are good to take. We try anything and everything, as long as it brings some satisfaction and an improvement of the general health. In the case of glaucoma, it's the same thing. Patients often tend to look for additional remedies, to be combined with their medical treatment to cure this disease quickly and effectively.

This can be a good initiative, but in order to be safe, it is necessary to be well informed about the effects of the products to be used. In this regard, we often hear about the possible positive effects of CBD on glaucoma. This is not at all a verified information, because CBD due to its properties could rather aggravate the symptoms of glaucoma. In fact, according to the scientific research done on the compound, it seems that it is able to cause an increase in intraocular pressure.

What you need to know is that the treatments developed against this disease should rather have the opposite effect, that is to say cause a decrease in intraocular pressure. This is the case with THC, and this is why cannabis is used to relieve the symptoms of glaucoma. This can be a risky choice because of the psychoactive effects of THC. However, some patients are willing to take the risk, especially when their glaucoma is in an advanced stage.

In other words, if you want to fight glaucoma and effectively relieve the symptoms of this disease, you will have to opt for cannabis containing a high THC content, and devoid of CBD. Indeed, CBD is known to be a compound capable of fighting against the effects of THC in the body. Therefore, consuming a product that contains both of these compounds may be useless, as CBD negates the effects of THC. It could therefore prevent it from reducing the intraocular pressure, and providing relief to the patient.

To summarize, none of the studies on CBD and glaucoma, are favorable to the use of this cannabinoid against the disease. Whether alone or combined with THC, it is anything but beneficial for the patient. You will have to turn to medical solutions to relieve your pain.

Effective medical treatments for glaucoma

There are many medical treatments that can be used to treat glaucoma. Before discovering them, you should know that unfortunately, glaucoma is one of the diseases that cannot be cured. In fact, at present, modern medicine has no definitive cure for this eye disease. Therefore, once diagnosed, the patient has to be followed for the rest of his or her life.

This is the only way to prevent the symptoms from getting worse and to stop the progression of the disease. This condition, which is manifested by a significant increase in intraocular pressure, destroys part of the optic nerve. Treatments help to stop this deterioration, but cannot help to regenerate the damaged nerve. Among these treatments we find :

• Laser: this is a treatment that consists of intervening on the affected eye without surgery, in order to repair its structure as much as possible

• Medication: this is often in the form of eye drops, and its role is to act on the production of aqueous humor

• Surgery: this is used as a last resort when, despite medication and laser treatment, the glaucoma continues to progress.

The different types of glaucoma

There are many types of glaucoma. The first is ocular hypertonia or suspected glaucoma. It is characterized by high eye pressure. However, this does not lead to the destruction of the optic nerve. For information, this is the first factor that leads to glaucoma. To avoid such an outcome, it is important to have a regular follow-up that will allow to take the necessary measures.

Secondly, we have open angle glaucoma which is the most noticed disorder in individuals. It evolves slowly and asymmetrically. It occurs when the filtration system of the aqueous humor is obstructed. The immediate consequence is intraocular pressure. There are many elements that cause the blockage, including white matter with protein and pigment.

Thirdly, there is angle closure glaucoma. In addition to being rare, it attacks in a brutal way. It is characterized by a consequent increase in intraocular tension. It manifests itself by eye pain, red eye and migraines. This disorder requires appropriate medical treatment.

Secondly, there are certain situations where glaucoma appears and develops without causing an increase in intraocular pressure. This is probably due to the optic nerve being weakened and damaged. To treat this disorder, it is important to reduce intraocular pressure and to act on risk factors such as diabetes and blood pressure.

In addition, there are congenital glaucomas that appear at the birth of a child. These are quite rare cases, as only one child in 5000 is affected. It manifests itself very early by an increase in intraocular pressure that leads to the elongation of the eyeball, which is larger. Finally, there is secondary glaucoma, the causes of which are unknown.

As you could see, CBD is not able to help you against glaucoma treatment. At least that's what the scientific studies and research done on the subject so far show. However, there is another compound in cannabis that can be helpful against this disease, and that is THC. When one considers the many side effects of THC, one wonders if it is really worth it. This is a decision for each patient, depending on the suffering caused by their glaucoma.

Why is CBD not recommended for glaucoma?

CBD is not recommended for glaucoma, because according to science, it has no positive effect on this disease. In addition, it cancels the effects of THC and can make the use of this psychotropic drug ineffective against glaucoma.