Glaucoma and Alternative Treatment

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Ziah_Jolley]Ziah Jolley
Glaucoma is an interesting disorder that happens to affect the eyes. It has multiple subtypes, none of them being very pleasant for those afflicted. There is very little one can do with Glaucoma unless it is caught within its 'infant stage', which happens to be rather difficult for most people. However, there is a substance out there that has proven to greatly reduce the stresses of the disorder: Marijuana.
Glaucoma has two different categories that it falls into, each with a plethora of other categories for themselves. Firstly, there's Closed-Angle Glaucoma. With Closed-Angle Glaucoma the vision loss is rather quick, with some pain. When a patient has Closed-Angle Glaucoma however, they usually seek out treatment before the nerve is totally destroyed due to the discomfort. Secondly, there's Open-Angle Glaucoma. With Open-Angle Glaucoma, the disorder progresses slowly. Unfortunately with Open-Angle Glaucoma, it's hard to tell until it's often too late as the loss of vision is very gradual, and by the time help is sought after the damage is irreparable. Thanks to Open-Angle Glaucoma being the prevalent of the two, it has been dubbed the 'Silent Thief of Sight.' It currently affects one in 200 people under the age of 50, and one in 10 over the age of 80. There is no current cure for Glaucoma, the best we can do is slow the progression, and Medical Marijuana has been proven to do just this.
There are a few different symptoms associated with Glaucoma. The most common symptom that occurs is pressure in the eye. This doesn't occur in everyone. In fact, there's people who have no pressure and suffer from high nerve damage, while at the same time there's people who have high pressure and suffer very little nerve damage. The pressure varies from person to person and how persistent the condition is. Most people report pain at some point, but not everyone is subjected to it. The thing to note is that the moment these symptoms show up, there is no way to repair the damage. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness around the world, just falling behind cataracts.
There are quite a few treatment methods out there for all types of Glaucoma. The one we're going to focus on is Marijuana. Marijuana has many names: Reefer, Ganja, Green, Grass, Hash, Hemp, Cannabis, and Herb. That's just to name a few! As I've said, there is no cure for Glaucoma. However, application of marijuana has proven to be beneficial for those that regular prescriptions do not work effectively for. For those that have had little to no luck with the prescriptions, marijuana can reduce intraocular pressure by up to 25%. Unlike most of the prescriptions which only last for a couple hours at a time, marijuana can last for 3-10 depending on how it is used. Studies show that the only way a cannabis preparation hasn't shown signs of any help is when applied topically. If applied through smoking, ingesting, or intravenously, it has shown remarkable benefit in reduction of pain and pressure.
Glaucoma is a potentially debilitating condition depending on age, and progression. However, with the application of marijuana, people have been able to slow the progress enough to live a comfortable life. Most people with Glaucoma do get relief by using Medical Marijuana. If you feel that prescriptions have no longer met your needs, or if you are afraid of the dangerous side effects associated with pharmaceutical drugs, we encourage you to consult a Medical Marijuana physician to see if this treatment may give you some relief.
Ziah J. is currently studying Medical Marijuana and how it effects certain diseases on the body. Although there is no 'official' research, there are multiple stories coming out that Medical Marijuana is helping thousands of people. Research is now being done by only a few companies and more research needs to be conducted. For more information visit Cannabis Clubbing - Fast Medical Marijuana Card - A free service to provide caregivers in your area. [http://fastmedicalmarijuanacard.com/directory]Fast Medical Marijuana Card
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Glaucoma-and-Alternative-Treatment&id=6608168] Glaucoma and Alternative Treatment