Retinitis pigmentosa is a condition that destroys the light sensors of the eye. This degenerative condition acts on the millions of microscopic photoreceptors and can lead to blindness. Currently, there is no known solution. But in this most recent study, researchers made headway in establishing cannabis as a potential treatment.
Published in Experimental Eye Research, the study “Neuroprotective effects of the cannabinoid agonist HU210 on retinal degeneration” interestingly used a synthetic cannabinoid known as HU210 to test the value of treating photoreceptor degeneration.
Over a study period of 90 days, the rats treated with HU210 experienced far less damage to their photo-receptors. As a matter of fact, they had 40 percent more of these light sensors left in their eyes when compared with the untreated rats. In addition, the rats treated with the synthetic cannabinoid had “improved connectivity between photoreceptors and their postsynaptic neurons,”—the neurons that receive and process the light signals.
Although the researchers could not identify how the cannabinoid worked and stressed more research is needed, they did say their findings were promising.