humulene and Retinal-Diseases

To report a case of branch retinal artery occlusion associated with paracentral acute middle maculopathy on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography presumably related to heavy cannabis consumption.. Retrospective case report. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, fluorescein angiography, and optical coherence tomography angiography were performed.. A 21-year-old healthy man described the acute onset of superior visual field loss in his right eye. He admitted smoking approximately 15 g daily of cannabis for several weeks during COVID-19 confinement. Ophthalmoscopic examination of the right eye showed inferotemporal retinal whitening. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography illustrated evidence of the ischemic cascade with diffuse hyperreflectivity of the inner and middle retinal layers within the central region of the retinal infarct and paracentral acute middle maculopathy at the border of the infarct. Optical coherence tomography angiography demonstrated predominant flow signal loss at the level of the deep retinal capillary plexus. Fluorescein angiography and complete systemic workup were unremarkable.. Branch retinal artery occlusion and paracentral acute middle maculopathy may be related to heavy cannabis use as the result of transient arterial vasospasm.

Topics: Acute Disease; Adult; Cannabis; COVID-19; Fluorescein Angiography; Humans; Infarction; Macular Degeneration; Male; Retina; Retinal Artery Occlusion; Retinal Diseases; Retinal Vessels; Retrospective Studies; Tomography, Optical Coherence; Young Adult

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of cannabis use on the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and the macular ganglion cell - inner plexiform layer GCL-IPL using optical coherence tomography (OCT).. This prospective, comparative study included 26 cannabis users who were evaluated at the Psychiatry Outpatient Unit of Muş State Hospital and 27 age and gender matched healthy controls. OCT was performed on both groups. The RNFL and GCL - IPL thicknesses, measured automatically by OCT, were recorded and compared between the groups.. The sociodemographic parameters of the two groups did not differ. The mean retinal nerve fiber thickness and thickness at the superior, nasal, inferior quadrants were not significantly different; but there was a significant difference at the temporal quadrant (p=0,022). In the analysis of macular ganglion cell - inner plexiform layer, the mean values as well as the infetotemporal, inferior, inferonasal and superonasal quadrants did not show significant differences. But there was a statistically significant decrease in the superior and superotemporal quadrants (p=0,006, p=0,027).. These findings suggest that cannabis use leads to the thinning on retinal layers. As it is an easily observable part of the brain, evaluating retinal nerve fiber and ganglion cell layer with OCT may be important for monitoring toxic and degenerative effects in cannabis users.

Topics: Adult; Cannabis; Case-Control Studies; Demography; Female; Humans; Male; Prospective Studies; Retinal Diseases; Socioeconomic Factors; Tomography, Optical Coherence

A 55-year-old male presented with a complaint of a painless and sudden loss of vision in the right eye. Fundus photography revealed loss of transparency and edema in the central macular region. Optical coherence tomography showed increased reflectivity and diffused swelling in the inner retinal layers. Fluorescein angiography revealed a large area of capillary non-perfusion with a pronounced hypofluorescent area with distinct borders. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a hemorrhagic macular infarction associated with marijuana and pregabalin misuse.

Topics: Anticonvulsants; Cannabis; Ethanol; Humans; Infarction; Macula Lutea; Male; Middle Aged; Pregabalin; Prescription Drug Misuse; Retinal Diseases; Visual Acuity

Because cannabis use is a major public health concern and cannabis is known to act on central neurotransmission, studying the retinal ganglion cells in individuals who regularly use cannabis is of interest.. To determine whether the regular use of cannabis could alter the function of retinal ganglion cells in humans.. For this case-control study, individuals who regularly use cannabis, as well as healthy controls, were recruited, and data were collected from February 11 to October 28, 2014. Retinal function was used as a direct marker of brain neurotransmission abnormalities in complex mental phenomena.. Amplitude and implicit time of the N95 wave on results of pattern electroretinography.. Twenty-eight of the 52 participants were regular cannabis users (24 men and 4 women; median age, 22 years [95% CI, 21-24 years]), and the remaining 24 were controls (20 men and 4 women; median age, 24 years [95% CI, 23-27 years]). There was no difference between groups in terms of age (P = .13) or sex (P = .81). After adjustment for the number of years of education and alcohol use, there was a significant increase for cannabis users of the N95 implicit time on results of pattern electroretinography (median, 98.6 milliseconds [95% CI, 93.4-99.5]) compared with controls (median, 88.4 milliseconds [95% CI, 85.0-91.1]), with 8.4 milliseconds as the median of the differences (95% CI, 4.9-11.5; P < .001, Wald logistic regression). A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis (area under the curve, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.73-0.95]; P < .001) revealed, for a cutoff value of 91.13 milliseconds, a sensitivity of 78.6% (95% CI, 60.5%-89.8%) and a specificity of 75.0% (95% CI, 55.1%-88.0%) for correctly classifying both cannabis users and controls in their corresponding group. The positive predictive value was 78.6% (95% CI, 60.5%-89.8%), and the negative predictive value was 75.0% (95% CI, 55.1%-88.0%).. Our results demonstrate a delay in transmission of action potentials by the ganglion cells in regular cannabis users, which could support alterations in vision. Our findings may be important from a public health perspective since they could highlight the neurotoxic effects of cannabis use on the central nervous system as a result of how it affects retinal processing.

Topics: Adult; Cannabis; Electroretinography; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Marijuana Smoking; Retinal Diseases; Retinal Ganglion Cells; Retrospective Studies; ROC Curve; Synaptic Transmission; Visual Acuity; Young Adult