Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.
Yale J Biol Med. 2020 Jun 29;93(2):347-353. eCollection 2020 Jun.
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Optimizing treatment is important to protecting vision. The current standard of therapy for glaucoma involves lowering the intraocular pressure (IOP) through medical, laser, and/or surgical therapy. Nevertheless, there are an increasing number of glaucoma patients that use alternative medicines to treat their glaucoma or supplement their traditional glaucoma management. Ginkgo biloba, bilberry, and medical marijuana are amongst the most commonly used medicinal plants by glaucoma patients. We reviewed the literature to determine the benefits, safety, and efficacy of these herbal remedies. Though ginkgo biloba and bilberry may prevent or slow down retinal ganglion cell death, there is no evidence yet to suggest that they alter the course of glaucoma. Medical marijuana has shown IOP lowering effect in some individuals, but its short duration of action, significant adverse effects, and addictive potential have rendered it an inappropriate standard therapeutic agent for glaucoma. Larger studies with longer durations that investigate the effect of herbal medicines on the course of glaucoma in comparison to the current standard of care are needed to elucidate their benefits in glaucoma treatment.
青光眼是全球导致不可逆性失明的主要原因。优化治疗对于保护视力非常重要。目前，青光眼的标准治疗方法包括通过药物、激光和/或手术治疗降低眼内压（IOP）。然而，越来越多的青光眼患者使用替代药物来治疗他们的青光眼或补充他们的传统青光眼管理。银杏、越橘和医用大麻是青光眼患者最常使用的药用植物。我们查阅了文献，以确定这些草药的益处、安全性和疗效。尽管银杏和越橘可能预防或减缓视网膜神经节细胞的死亡，但目前尚无证据表明它们改变青光眼的病程。医用大麻在某些人中显示出降低眼压的效果，但由于其作用持续时间短、严重不良反应和潜在成瘾性，使其不适合作为青光眼的标准治疗药物。需要进行更大规模、更长时间的研究，以调查草药对青光眼病程的影响，并与当前的标准治疗方法进行比较，以阐明它们在青光眼治疗中的益处。
