American Academy of Opthomology views on Cannabis

Well, i am not just here to be a proponent of cannabis being a cure all for what ails us. This thread is enlightening and i believe it to be true. In order to receive these benefits i have had on Cannabis, "one has to basically stay stoned all day". Well, doctor, look at me. Once our tolerances are up we can ingest this stuff without ill effects to our performance.
That being said, someone who smokes a few joints through the day will not experience the effects that i have. My daily dose entails 1 Tbsp of a mixture of CBD and THC infused oil. No certain mixture is adhered to. The ratio has been all over the board. Some Oil batches are High CBD. Some are 1:1. Other batches are more THC herb than 1:1. I am not even positive the whole 1:1 ratio is still produced by my seed stock i bred. Its not hard hitting so its either weak herb OR it still has CBD in it. I am assuming the latter. So...

1 Tbsp of Oil in my coffee before work. After work its about 1 joint every 2-3 hours. So total, about 4-5 joints.


It would be expensive for someone who has to buy their herb. So it could be costly just for a consumer and not a producer. As a producer i have access to not only lbs of trimmed cured herb, there is also a bunch of scraggly buds someone wouldn't want to smoke BUT they are still useful in this application. So here is probably more of what reality is despite my blessed situation.

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Does Marijuana Help Treat Glaucoma or Other Eye Conditions?

Written By: David Turbert, Dan Gudgel
Reviewed By: Andrew George Iwach, MD
Jun. 17, 2019
Cannabis and currently available compounds derived from marijuana – like CBD – are not an adequate treatment for glaucoma, or any eye condition. To treat glaucoma, eye pressure must be managed 24 hours a day. Marijuana is not a practical treatment for constant use. And more research is still needed into the exact effects of cannabis and cannabis compounds on eye pressure and glaucoma.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology does not recommend marijuana or other cannabis products for the treatment of glaucoma. The American Glaucoma Society and the Canadian Ophthalmological Society agree.

Several current, effective treatments for glaucoma are more reliable and safer than marijuana. If you have glaucoma, you should follow your ophthalmologist’s advice to get the treatment that’s right for you.

The bottom line about marijuana and glaucoma is:

The largest association of eye physicians and surgeons in the world does not endorse cannabis or its derivatives as a glaucoma treatment.
Do not self-medicate with marijuana in an attempt to treat glaucoma. You can lose your vision if you don’t have a reliable, effective treatment for glaucoma.
Speak with your ophthalmologist to find the glaucoma treatment option that’s best for you.
Tell your doctor if you do use marijuana regularly.
What is the Connection Between Glaucoma and Marijuana?
Glaucoma is an eye condition in which the optic nerve becomes damaged over time, first reducing peripheral vision before possibly leading to total blindness. One cause of optic nerve damage in glaucoma is higher-than-normal eye pressure (intraocular pressure or IOP).

As marijuana has been legalized for medical or recreational use in more U.S. states and Canada, it has become more visible and discussed as a possible treatment for many health conditions. Research in the 1970s and 1980s did show a measurable decrease in intraocular pressure for three or four hours after smoking cannabis or ingesting THC as a pill or injection. But to treat glaucoma and save vision, eye pressure has to be controlled 24 hours a day.

To reduce intraocular pressure by 3 to 5 mm Hg — and maintain that reduction — you would have to ingest about 18 to 20 mg of THC six to eight times a day, every day. The possible negative effects on mood, mental clarity and (if smoked) lung health would be significant. You would not be able to drive, operate machinery or engage in many common activities. In addition, the cost of using marijuana every three to four hours, every day makes it cost-prohibitive for most patients.

As a comparison, alcohol also has a moderate intraocular pressure-lowering effect for an hour or so after a drink. But no doctor would recommend that you drink alcohol every hour to treat glaucoma. Many other effective treatments are available that don't have the side-effects of alcohol.

Studies Haven’t Proven That THC is Effective or Reliable for Glaucoma Treatment
Studies have been done on THC eye drops, pills and cigarettes. Eye drops led to burning, irritated eyes and were shown to not lower eye pressure. A sublingual (placed in the mouth under the tongue) THC compound found no reduction in intraocular pressure. For another study, glaucoma patients were offered THC-containing pills and/or cigarettes. Within nine months all of them asked to stop due to side effects.

As scientists learn more about glaucoma, they have also come to understand that high intraocular pressure in the fluid at the front of the eye is not the only cause of optic nerve damage. Increasing evidence shows that reduced flow of blood to the optic nerve may also cause damage in patients with glaucoma. Marijuana not only lowers eye pressure, it also lowers blood pressure throughout the body. As a result, marijuana has the potential to lower the blood flow to the optic nerve, effectively canceling out the benefit of lowered intraocular pressure.

What About CBD for Glaucoma?
In recent years, CBD has received a lot of attention and scrutiny. CBD is a derivative of cannabis that doesn’t have mood-altering effects. But just like cannabis that’s smoked or eaten, there is no accepted, current research that shows CBD to be an effective treatment for glaucoma. In fact, one recent study showed that CBD may actually increase IOP, which would make glaucoma worse.

What is the Future of Marijuana for Glaucoma Treatment?
Currently, the only way to control glaucoma and prevent vision loss is to lower the pressure in your eye. Your ophthalmologist can treat glaucoma with medication, such as prescription eye drops, or surgery, depending on the type of glaucoma and how severe it is.

Scientists are exploring whether the active ingredients in marijuana may yet offer a glaucoma treatment. If the effects of cannabis compounds can be isolated, made to be long-acting, and the side effects eliminated, they may lead to new treatments in the future. However, such developments require more research and are years away from becoming a reality.

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So...sounds pretty pessimistic. Yet still realistic. However there always is an exception to the rule. I was even told by one doctor..."it would be unreasonable to consume the amount of cannabis necessary to achieve these effects." (Really?)...still another doctor told me..."Your just trying to come up with reasons to use the stuff." I don't need their affirmation to confirm what i am experiencing from this plant. They would rather i pay for a proven medication they supply. Seems more like a business to me rather than interested in my personal physiological response to a herb they readily dismiss. This was before cannabis went recreational, though.
More to come...
 
My concerns have been:

My sleep patterns are messed up as it is, without factoring in the act of getting up at regular intervals to dose myself with cannabinoids.

That, even if I do that (and regularly throughout what passes for my "day"), I'd still be experiencing a roller coaster effect in regards to the interocular pressure.

Strength varies, and I have no way to determine what that strength is, other than "feels like." Even expensive (for me) lab analysis would only tell me what the strength of the sample is - and I wouldn't get that sample back to use.

Plus. the more I consume, the less able to get high I seem to be. That's at the bottom of the list (<COUGH>usually<COUGH>), but it's still on there.

A lot of cannabis consumers don't seem to want anything to do with the pharmaceutical industry, and most of us have had - or at least read about others who have had - less than stellar experiences with it. However, this is one situation... I'd like to have an unlimited supply of slow-release pills that gave me an even dose throughout the day/night. Even that would be less than a perfect solution, because there are other factors that can affect the pressure. It would be better than self-medicating to the scale of "feels right," though.
 
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