These effects lasted a minimum of four hours, demonstrating that CBD can worsen glaucoma rather than effectively treat the eye condition. This is very problematic, since increased pressure inside the eye can lead to irreversible loss of vision. New Research Says CBD Increases Eye Pressure. This is a cause for concern, since glaucoma affects eyesight due to high levels of pressure.
High optic nerve pressure causes nerve damage. And since its function is to transmit visual information to the brain, this damage leads to permanent loss of vision. As with most medicines, therapeutic use of cannabis or cannabinoids can cause adverse effects such as tachycardia, dry mouth, blurred vision, vertigo, low blood pressure, panic attack, red eyes or itchy skin. Outside the world of eyes, some researchers and patients have discovered some specific benefits of CBD.
Dispensaries recommend CBD for eye treatment, especially glaucoma. Medical research has found that medical marijuana does not reduce eye pressure for more than three or four hours, which is not enough to prevent damage to the optic nerve. Paradoxically, it may increase the risk of damage due to eye pressure fluctuations throughout the day. Possible etiologies of its refractive change include the patient's type 2 diabetes mellitus status, medication history and her recent use of CBD oil.
There are no previous case reports of such an association in hyperopic change or any previous study examining specific types of CBD oils and other forms of cannabinoid products. Further studies will be needed to confirm the findings of this isolated case presentation to better understand the role of cbd oil in refractive errors of the eye, especially in a diabetic condition. CBD appears to increase eye pressure; according to a study in rats in Indiana, CBD increased eye pressure by 18% for at least four hours after administration of the drops. The U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved CBD for some very limited medical uses, and several states have legalized the medical and recreational use of marijuana, both THC and CBD. Their study provided topical application of THC and CBD in mice, and researchers found that CBD actually increased IOP. This new isolated incident between CBD oil and the change in the VA requires additional, controlled and blind investigation for greater applicability. The association of changes in vision after the start of CBD oil cannot be ruled out as one of the plausible causes.
The authors are aware that this is an isolated case report in which the patient clearly related her gradual change in vision after starting CBD oil drops twice daily for six weeks. In addition, many effects of THC can be counteracted by CBD, although it should be noted that CBD may, paradoxically, increase the effects of THC by inhibiting its degradation by inhibiting cytochrome P450 enzymes. As marijuana has become more popular and many states have legalized the medical and recreational uses of this drug, CBD oil is being promoted for a variety of uses, including the treatment of glaucoma. A 57-year-old woman with a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea, with no changes in medication, diet or lifestyle, was found to have a hypermetropic change in vision with the recent daily addition of CBD oil intake.
In addition, her hyperopic change returned to her original myopic vision once she stopped taking her CBD oil. This has allowed commercial companies to produce and sell unregulated CBD oil products without approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). .
