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Study found no link between eyesight, marijuana use
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A study conducted on a large population sample found no correlation between self-reported quality of eyesight and use of marijuana.
Illegal, recreational use of marijuana is widespread among young adults, who mostly perceive it as an innocuous drug. In 2015, legalization for medical use was obtained in 23 U.S. states and is pending in another nine states.
However, concerns on potentially harmful effects, including effects on vision, have not been entirely dispelled, though evidence is anecdotal and contradictory.
This study was based on the data of the national Longitudinal Survey of Youth, including 12,686 young men and women interviewed on a yearly basis and later every 2 years, from 1979 to date. A sample of 7,726 respondents were included in the study and divided, based on self-declaration, into heavy marijuana use (1,304 respondents) and light/no marijuana use (6,422 respondents).
Self-reported quality of eyesight was surveyed for all participants at the age of 40 years.
No statistically significant difference in eyesight quality was found between heavy and light/no marijuana use. The authors reported that among heavy marijuana users, male gender and higher education were correlated with lower odds of reporting a poor quality of eyesight and with a lower perception of the risks potentially connected with regular use of marijuana. Black ethnicity was correlated with increased odds of reporting poor quality eyesight and higher perception of risks.
The authors admitted that self-reporting was a limitation of the study and might be biased because of the stigma associated with marijuana use. – by Michela Cimberle
Disclosure: Akano reports no conflict of interest
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