Retinitis Pigmentosa Support Group

Hey everyone,

I have read quite a few articles lately that marijuana temporarily improves night vision. Has anyone else read this or experienced this or is this just an excuse to smoke weed?

This is coming from someone who smoked the stuff years and years ago because I was told that it would help my vision. LOL, it not only DID NOT improve my vision but actually made me more clumsty, if that is possible. I think there are many people who claim that it is helpful to a lot of people for reasons other than what it actually does. Just an excuse. My ex-husband smoked it his whole life and after he was diagnosed with Parkinsons then he had the excuse that it was medicinal. To each his own, but certainly not for me.

Hi Ghor- can you post the sources or the articles? This is one of those margin, or fringe topics that we want to be careful with, as it deals with a subject of legality.

Thanks, Wigz

Wow I wish I knew this 41years ago, I could of wrote the trip to Woodstock off as a medical expense.

See you or not,

Post edited by: DaveA, at: 10/13/2010 06:12 AM

yea it improves our night vision ....but the flip side is after getting high your too lazy to do anything to take advantage of the reprieve from night blindness except EAT !

Girth

Weed seems to severely constrict my peripheral vision, which is one reason I don't do it (regularly) anymore.

Doing something to get a buzz is kind of pointless if one of the side effects is a subsequent buzzKILL.

Post edited by: ShadowTek, at: 10/13/2010 05:08 PM

Marijuana affects everybody differently. I used to be a huge pothead, not because I thought it was good for night vision, just because I loved to get high.

I've never noticed an improvement in night vision after smoking pot.

Most recently, now that my vision's affected more and more by the RP, I tend to stray away from the pot. When I'm high, I'm super aware of stuff, including my vision loss. I get paranoid about walking into people and awkward social situations. I tend to geek out.

Plus, when I'm with a group of people, smoking a joint or a bowl -- it's really awkward when someone passes it to me - and I don't even see it!

i find it more relaxing when im stressing out over having rp.. calms me down and seems to relax my eyes also

RP might be eligible for medical marijuana. Here's a link to the main article in case anybody wants to try getting approval: http://science.iowamedicalmarijuana.org/pdfs/misc/Russo% 20et%20al.%20Cannabis%20Night%20Vision%20JEP%202004.pdf A couple of the cannabis night vision aticle abstracts are here:

J Ethnopharmacol. 2004 Jul;93(1):99-104.

Cannabis improves night vision: a case study of dark adaptometry and scotopic sensitivity in kif smokers of the Rif mountains of northern Morocco.

Russo EB, Merzouki A, Mesa JM, Frey KA, Bach PJ.

Sourceerusso@montanadsl.net

Abstract

Previous reports have documented an improvement in night vision among Jamaican fishermen after ingestion of a crude tincture of herbal cannabis, while two members of this group noted that Moroccan fishermen and mountain dwellers observe an analogous improvement after smoking kif, sifted Cannabis sativa mixed with tobacco (Nicotiana rustica). Field-testing of night vision has become possible with a portable device, the LKC Technologies Scotopic Sensitivity Tester-1 (SST-1). This study examines the results of double-blinded graduated THC administration 0-20 mg (as Marinol) versus placebo in one subject on measures of dark adaptometry and scotopic sensitivity. Analogous field studies were performed in Morocco with the SST-1 in three subjects before and after smoking kif. In both test situations, improvements in night vision measures were noted after THC or cannabis. It is believed that this effect is dose-dependent and cannabinoid-mediated at the retinal level. Further testing may assess possible clinical application of these results in retinitis pigmentosa or other conditions.

PMID:15182912[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

J Ethnopharmacol. 2002 Aug;81(3):403-6.

Concerning kif, a Cannabis sativa L. preparation smoked in the Rif mountains of northern Morocco.

Merzouki A, Mesa JM.

SourceLaboratoire d'Ethnobotanique, Faculté des Sciences, Université AbdelmaleK Essâadi, Tétouan, Morocco. merzouki@ugr.es

Abstract

The aim of the present paper is to present information about a kif preparation smoked by the Moroccan population. Results are considered as an advance of our actual investigations undertaken in the Rif zone to observe an improvement in night vision after smoking kif [Ethan et al., 2002. International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) meeting, in preparation].

PMID:12127244[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]