Marijuana for Glaucoma: A Recipe for Disaster or Treatment?

Marijuana has been shown to lower intraocular pressure (IOP) but with limited duration of action and numerous adverse effects. Use of marijuana to lower IOP as a means of glaucoma treatment would require frequent use throughout the day, leading to significant adverse effects, possible progression to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Yale journal of biology & medicine Vol. 88; no. 3; pp. 265 - 269
Main Authors Sun, Xiaoshen, Xu, Chaoying S, Chadha, Nisha, Chen, Allshine, Liu, Ji
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine 01.09.2015
YJBM
SeriesFocus: Addiction
Subjects
Addictions
Cannabinoids
Cannabis
Disease
Drug abuse
Drug addiction
Drug dosages
Drug legalization
Drug withdrawal
Evidence-Based Medicine
Glaucoma
Glaucoma - complications
Glaucoma - drug therapy
Humans
Immune system
Marijuana Abuse - etiology
Marijuana Abuse - prevention & control
Medical marijuana
Medical Marijuana - adverse effects
Medical Marijuana - therapeutic use
Patients
Population
Post traumatic stress disorder
Review
Risk Assessment
Side effects
Substance abuse treatment
Substance Withdrawal Syndrome - etiology
Substance Withdrawal Syndrome - prevention & control
Treatment Outcome
Withdrawal
United States > US
medical marijuana
cannabis use disorder
intraocular pressure
glaucoma
addiction
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Summary:Marijuana has been shown to lower intraocular pressure (IOP) but with limited duration of action and numerous adverse effects. Use of marijuana to lower IOP as a means of glaucoma treatment would require frequent use throughout the day, leading to significant adverse effects, possible progression toward Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD), and/or withdrawal symptoms. The treatment of glaucoma based on the cannabis plant or drugs based on the cannabinoid molecule should be considered carefully before being prescribed. Considerations should include the adverse physical and psychological adverse effects, including substance abuse. Currently, the deleterious effects of marijuana outweigh the benefits of its IOP-lowering capacity in most glaucoma patients. Under extremely rare circumstances, a few categories of glaucoma patients may be potential candidates for treatment with medical marijuana. Further studies on alternate routes and more focused means of cannabinoid molecule delivery to the eye for glaucoma treatment are needed.
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ISSN:0044-0086
1551-4056