This reputation has led to an ever-growing list of options for how to use CBD for the treatment of various ailments, from creams that can be rubbed into sore muscles topically, to edibles that can be taken throughout the day. CBD eye drops are just one of the latest potential products to gain buzz among CBD enthusiasts. The question is, what do we actually know about the efficacy of these drops?
First, The Bad News
THC has been a known treatment for glaucoma since as far back as the 1970s 4 Marijuana as Medicine? The Science Beyond the Controversy Mack A, Joy J. Marijuana as Medicine? The Science Beyond the Controversy. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2000. 9, MARIJUANA AND GLAUCOMA. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK224386/ Mack A, Joy J. . How does marijuana help glaucoma? By reducing the eye pressure the disease is known for, THC has been shown to also reduce the risk of blindness caused by the disease.
The problem is, this effect is short-lived and requires regular doses of THC throughout the day, making this an unrealistic treatment option for patients who can’t, or simply don’t want to, manage their days with a constant high.
So, of course, researchers started to wonder if perhaps CBD could produce the same benefits without the high.
It could have been a perfect solution, if only CBD had performed in research studies similarly to THC. Instead, CBD eye drops for glaucoma were found to be ineffective at low doses, and potentially harmful at higher doses, increasing eye pressure rather than decreasing it 5 Effect of sublingual application of cannabinoids on intraocular pressure: a pilot study. Tomida I, Azuara-Blanco A, House H, Flint M, Pertwee RG, Robson PJ. Effect of sublingual application of cannabinoids on intraocular pressure: a pilot study. J Glaucoma. 2006;15(5):349-353. doi:10.1097/01.ijg.0000212260.04488.60 Tomida I, Azuara-Blanco A, House H, Flint M, Pertwee RG, Robson PJ .
For this reason, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) have both issued warnings against using CBD for the treatment of glaucoma.