CBD for Macular Degeneration and Glaucoma: Can it help?
Macular degeneration and glaucoma has affected over 13 million Americans. These two diseases are the leading cause of vision loss in the U.S. Doctors have always thought that these diseases are irreversible. Macular degeneration (MD) is caused by the deterioration of the retina. When the central point of the retina deteriorates, images we see are not received correctly. This can cause limited scope in vision or blindness. Glaucoma is caused by damage to the optic nerve. This is typically caused by a build up of pressure in the eye.This pressure leads to significant nerve death within the eye. Symptoms include blurred vision and permanent vision loss. Glaucoma can be age related or hereditary.
Treatment
Treatment for both of these diseases are limited. MD is typically treated with various injections to the eye. Glaucoma is commonly treated with surgery or laser treatments to help drain fluids from the eye, relieving pressure. All of these treatments are aimed at slowing the progression of the disease. Currently, doctors have yet to find a cure.
CBD for Macular Degeneration
As of now, we are beginning to see cannabis used to treat MD and Glaucoma. There have been cases of CBD significantly improving the diseases. According to the United Patients Group, a small business owner named Fabi began using CBD oil to treat other ailments. Not realizing the possible benefits from CBD for MD, she began to see improvements. After a routine eye doctor visit, her doctor saw that her condition had significantly improved. The disease had reversed from “intermediate” to an “early stage.” According to Fabi, she had started using CBD oil routinely just three weeks prior to the visit.
CBD for Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a common eye disease that doctors prescribe medical marijuana cards for. Psychoactive marijuana and CBD have been used as therapeutic relief for glaucoma for many years. In 1979, a study was published in the International Journal of Pharmacology and Biopharmacology, 16 patients used CBD to treat their glaucoma. As a result, eye pressure, which causes glaucoma, was significantly reduced in all of the patients. The nerve death due to pressure is called “apoptosis.” With CBD, the pressure drops leading to a decrease in nerve death. This is why CBD can prevent blindness in patients.
How does it work?
Why are cannabinoids so effective at treating these diseases? We know that CBD can treat these diseases, but scientists are curious as to how the eye absorbs the cannabinoids. This perplexed many scientists and doctors until Finland published a study in 2002 on the effects of CBD on glaucoma. Researchers found that our eyes have cannabinoid receptors, similar to our endocannabinoid system mentioned in our previous article here. This is how the eyes absorb the CBD used to treat MD and glaucoma.
Choosing What’s Best
If you or a loved one is suffering from one of the diseases mentioned above, CBD may be an option to consider. CBD oil or tincture is a great product to start with. As research continues, we may begin to see CBD eye drops or topicals for the eye. This would be a breakthrough for the industry and community as a whole. As always, make sure to do your own research before choosing CBD. We hope you enjoyed the article. Please continue to spread the word on the benefits from CBD!
References
https://unitedpatientsgroup.com/blog/2016/10/30/cannabis-macular-degeneration
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0163725802002590
https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/understanding-glaucoma-treatment#1
https://www.whatiscbd.com/what-is-glaucoma-can-cbd-help/