Glaucoma

Medical Marijuana and Glaucoma

If you’ve been diagnosed with the eye condition glaucoma, you’ll be naturally concerned. Your vision could be significantly affected as the condition worsens. You could even go blind. Fortunately, early detection and treatment can preserve vision.

This article may benefit you if you’re currently looking into alternative treatments for your glaucoma. You’ll learn about how medical marijuana for glaucoma can help gently alleviate your symptoms, particularly if you’re searching for answers and are worried about how the condition impacts you or a loved one.

What Is Glaucoma?

More than 3 million Americans are estimated to suffer from glaucoma, a disease of the major nerve of vision called the optic nerve. Without diagnosis and treatment, glaucoma can progress to loss of central vision and blindness. Worldwide, glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness.

For good vision, you need a healthy optic nerve. The nerve itself consists of over a million nerve fibers. It connects your retina — the light-sensitive tissue at the back of your eye — to your brain. With glaucoma, fluid usually builds up in the front part of your eye, putting extra pressure within your eye and damaging the optic nerve.