Dr. Michael Burks McCullough now offers medical cannabis / medical marijuana as a treatment option for patients suffering with Glaucoma. Glaucoma is a degenerative optic nerve disorder that can cause peripheral vision loss, and ultimately lead to blindness if left untreated. Glaucoma is routinely controlled through pressure lowering eye drops, which is a very effective treatment for the disease. Glaucoma surgery is also a great treatment option for patients who do not respond well to glaucoma eye drops. Medical cannabis can be useful as a treatment in early stages of glaucoma as a stand alone treatment, or in combination with prescription glaucoma drops. Medical Cannabis has the beneficial side effect of lowering eye pressure.
For many patients, medical cannabis is a good addition to conventional glaucoma treatment, especially for night time use when the eye pressure spikes to its highest. Medical cannabis eye pressure lowering effect lasts around 4 hours after smoking, vaping, or ingesting medical marijuana. Pressure in the eye tends to reach its highest point around 3:00 am, so medical cannabis use before bed would help lower the eye pressure while sleeping. Medical cannabis is not necessary for the treatment of glaucoma, but is a treatment option we use in conjunction with other conventional treatments. Glaucoma drops are very effective at lowering eye pressure, however medical cannabis offers an additional pressure lowering effect for patients interested.
Unsure if you have glaucoma? Routine yearly eye examinations are the best way of detecting glaucoma before it progresses. Glaucoma is a progressive disease, so early detection and treatment is key at preserving patient's peripheral vision.
Cost of Medical Cannabis Treatment:
There is a $60 fee every 6 months, in addition to your medical copay. Insurance does not cover the medical cannabis exam fee, or the products purchased at a dispensary.
Once you have been diagnosed with glaucoma and filled out your Medical Cannabis Application, we submit your paperwork to the MS-DOH (Mississippi Department of Health) and they will email a link to register the account. Once the online application has been submitted, it takes around 2 weeks for Medical Cannabis card to be activated. Once the card is activated, patients can go to any dispensary.
Not sure if you qualify, come by for your routine eye exam and we will check your eyes to determine if you would benefit from medical cannabis.