David M
I've been myopic since I was in the second grade. I've worn glasses ever since then. When I was 16, a regular checkup discovered that I had a higher than normal pressure in both eyes. During a following checkup I asked the doctor if what I had heard about cannabis and glaucoma was true. He chuckled and told me that as far as science could tell at this point, it looked promising and at any rate it couldn't hurt. I took his words to be encouraging about cannabis, and tried it soon after. For the next 10 years, while I was considered a glaucoma suspect, I would see the doctor every 4 to 6 months for a pressure check. During this time, I played with my doctor(s) by sometimes smoking or eating some cannabis a few hours before they'd measure the pressure in my eyes. On each of those occasions, the doctors and I would notice the the drop of 4-7 points of pressure. (But they didn't know why, until I'd tell them.) When my current doctor got wise to what I was doing, he asked me to stop smoking before my pressure checks. After being considered a glaucoma suspect for 10 years, I was "officially" diagnosed with glaucoma at 28 years old when the (untreated other than with cannabis) pressure in my eyes reached 27. My doctor first prescribed a medication that made my heart feel like it was fluttering or running away with itself like I was in a panic. (When I asked him for something else, he got mad at first and told me no way would he prescribe cannabis. I told him I hadn't asked him to in the first place.) He apologized and took me off that one and started me on another that I continue to take now. This drug has the side effects of causing hair loss, tachycardia, high blood pressure, and asthma. During the next few year, my pressure slowly rose to 27 again. My doctor then prescribed the drug that causes so much pain in my nose and teeth. Around 5 years ago, my pressures rose once again. My doctor prescribed yet another drop. Thankfully, this one causes me no serious side effects. (I'm a great fan of Xalatan! Too bad it only results in a 5 point drop.) Also, I got my first discouragement at this time. During a routine test of my visual fields, it was discovered I had lost some ground to my disease. At that time I learned that although I had lost part of my visual field, I still have a much better than average visual field to begin with. Even with the damage I now have, my doctor assures me that my visual field is better than his, as well as most of his other patients or even employees whether they have glaucoma or not. At this point I suggested to him that it might be due to my use of cannabis when I could get it. So, now we're back to cannabis. Through the years, my doctor found out the truthful information about how cannabis does lower the pressure of glaucoma on his own. (He's very conscientious and concerned for all of his patients.) Although due to federal threats and interference, I won't ask him to actually prescribe it for me, I do ask for, and he fills out the approval forms required by proposition 215 in California and keeps copies of them on file. (I have him fill out a new one once every 6 months or so) He's also verified my condition for the Oakland Cannabis Cooperative. This is conditional on my continuing to take my regular eye drops unless my pressures are consistently low enough to merit taking me off of one or more of my drops. And due to the laws regarding cannabis, and the current assaults on the voice of the people of California on the local, state, and federal level, I am unable to use cannabis to the extent I wish to. I'm not able to have it all the time. And when I do it's always a very small amount. (Only a ticket in California. Sheesh, I want to save my eyesight but not go to prison over it.) My latest development is that I've started taking Ginkgo Biloba after reading a few posts on alt.support.glaucoma and although this is only "anecdotal evidence about another unprocessed herb", much to my delight my pressures have dropped by several points, and are now under 20 for each eye for the first time in over 5 years!
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