See Clear

Glaucoma has gotten a lot of attention in recent years because of its connection to medical marijuana, as glaucoma is one of the diseases for which medicinal marijuana is prescribed. But what is glaucoma, really? What does it do, what are its symptoms and causes? In the current discussions of eyecare and vision health, glaucoma is something people should know more about.

Glaucoma is not just one disease, but rather a collection of diseases related to vision that slowly take away a person’s sight. The frustrating thing about glaucoma is the fact that it often steals sight without much warning, and often doesn’t present symptoms either. The loss of vision is caused by injuries to the optic nerve, which is the pathway for nerves traveling from your eye to your brain. With an optic nerve that’s not performing properly, nerve signals that carry the images seen by the eyes to the brain for processing get distorted or don’t make it at all, and a person’s sight becomes fuzzy and then disappears.

Pressure is believed to be the primary cause for optic nerve injuries, but
there are other elements to consider as well. There are people who have normal intraocular pressure the pressure in your eyes who suffer from glaucoma related loss of vision. There is no known cure for glaucoma, and millions of people living in the United States are thought to have the disease and be unaware that they have it, due to the lack of symptoms. Glaucoma must be treated for the rest of the patient’s life, and managed with medication or possibly surgery.

Alternative medicine for eyecare is possible. Medical marijuana can help treat pressure related glaucoma, as it decreases the amount of intraocular pressure. However, there are other alternative treatments to consider for your eye health. Acupuncture has been shown to decrease intraocular pressure as well, and there are fewer negative side effects with acupuncture than with marijuana. Acupuncture can also alleviate headaches, dry eyes, and even dizziness. Both therapies have worked for people, you just need to find the one that fits your body best.