The influence of canasol on various tissues including the eye and the modification of the ocular effect by several alpha adrenoceptor antagonists

Canasol solution is an ophthalmic drop prepared from Cannabis sativa and contains 0.3 percent of active solid. The solution produced vasoconstriction in the auricular artery and in the rabbit's ear, inhibited the pendular movement of the rabbit jejunum. and produced a marked lowering of the intra ocular pressure in the dog. The response in the eye is localized in that it does not produce consensual responses in the centralateral eye. Both the vascular and the ocular responses to canasol acts by stimulating alpha adrenoceptor (Summary)

The enhanced effect of the combination of cannasol with timolol and with pilocarpine on intraocular pressure - abstract

Cannasol ophthalmic drop is prepared from the non-psychoactive fraction of Cannabis sativa. The preparation contains 0.1 percent benzalconium chloride as a preservative. Letters Patent have been granted in Jamaica at this time for the eye drop. Timolol and pilocarpine are established eye drops used to treat glaucoma. When Cannasol and timolol are added together, irrespective of the order of combination, there is a precipitous and prolonged fall in the intraocular pressure, both in the dog and in the human. When Cannasol is combined with pilocarpine, the result is the same. Both timolol and pilocarpine produce spikes (rebound) in therapy which can be dangerous to the optic disc. These spikes are not seen when Cannasol is used on its own or used in combination as mentioned above. The enhanced effect with timolol is greater than with pilocarpine and this is to be expected. Timolol is a beeta-adrenoceptor antagonist, while Cannasol is an alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist, while Cannasol is an alpha-adrenoceptor stimulant, both acting to reduce tumour formation. Pilocarpine on the other hand constricts the pupil and widens the filtration angle, a mechanism quited different from that of Cannasol or timolol. This combined effect is now being used to advantage in patients with glaucoma resistant to conventional treatment and who might otherwise need surgery (AU)

The treatment of glaucoma using a non-psychoactive preparation of cannabis sativa

A non-psychotropic, ophthalmic preparation from cannabis sativa produced a significant fall in intraocular pressure both in the dog and in glaucoma patients. The preparation is non-toxic and compared favourably with pilocarpine in the dog. It is concluded, from our observations, that cannabis sativa contains an active principle which is non-psychotic and which has a significant effect in lowering the intraocular pressure (AU)

The potential use of cannabis sativa in ophthalmology

Forty patients with glaucoma and forty with normal intraocular tension were examined for changes in intraocular pressure before and after smoking tobacco and cannabis cigarettes. Smoking of cannabis cigarettes decreased the intraocular pressure in glaucoma. Smoking of tobacco cigarettes produced an initial rise in pressure followed by a fall. There was no change in the patients with normal intraocular tension (AU)