Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40772417›Full record

Trial reportActa ophthalmologica2026

Single oral administration of dronabinol increases ocular blood flow in patients with glaucoma.

Theresa Lindner, Viktoria Pai, Patrick Janku, Nikolaus Hommer, Anton Hommer, Marihan Abensperg-Traun, Liudmyla Petric, Leopold Schmetterer, Gerhard Garhöfer, Doreen Schmidl

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Acta ophthalmologica, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04596826 (The Effect of Dronabinol on Ocular Hemodynamics in Patients With Primary), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04596826 phase2completednot on this map

The Effect of Dronabinol on Ocular Hemodynamics in Patients With Primary

TypeinterventionalSponsorMedical University of ViennaRan2020 to 2024Enrolled51ConditionsRetinal Blood FlowArmsDronabinol 5 MG, Dronabinol 10 MG, Placebo
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Trial
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Theresa LindnerDepartment of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3768-8585
Viktoria PaiDepartment of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2043-9122
Patrick JankuDepartment of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Nikolaus HommerDepartment of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Anton HommerDepartment of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Marihan Abensperg-TraunDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Liudmyla PetricDepartment of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Leopold SchmettererDepartment of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7189-1707
Gerhard GarhöferDepartment of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5547-5669
Doreen SchmidlDepartment of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5664-7768

Funding

Austrian Science Fund KLI 854
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeGlaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness globally, primarily driven by elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Still, some patients progress despite significant IOP lowering, potentially due to impaired ocular blood flow. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dronabinol, a synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol derivative, on ocular blood flow in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients.

methodsThis randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled, cross-over study included 23 patients with treated POAG (mean age 68 ± 7 years). All participants received dronabinol (11 patients received 5 mg and 12 received 10 mg in a randomized fashion) on one study day and placebo on the other study day. The primary outcome was optic nerve head blood flow (ONHBF) measured by laser speckle flowgraphy. Mean blur rate was determined for the large vessel area (MV), the tissue area (MT) and the total ONH area (MA). Secondary outcomes included vessel densities assessed by optical coherence tomography angiography, IOP, and blood pressure.

resultsAdministration of 10 mg dronabinol significantly increased ONHBF (MA: 10.8 ± 20.6%, p = 0.018, MV: 12.0 ± 24.8%, p = 0.042, and MT: 11.0 ± 22.6%, p = 0.022, each vs. placebo) up to 4 h post-administration without affecting IOP or mean arterial pressure (p > 0.548 each). Additionally, a significant increase in vessel density in the superficial vascular plexus was found after administration of 10 mg dronabinol (6.7 ± 14.7%, p = 0.040 vs. 5 mg).

conclusionThis pilot study demonstrates that systemic dronabinol enhances ONHBF in glaucoma patients, suggesting its potential as adjunct therapy for glaucoma by targeting vascular dysfunction. Further longitudinal studies are needed to explore its long-term impact on disease progression and visual field preservation.

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04596826.

Indexed as

DronabinolGlaucoma, Open-AngleIntraocular PressureOptic DiskRegional Blood FlowAdministration, OralAgedBlood Flow VelocityBlood PressureCross-Over StudiesDouble-Blind MethodFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansLaser-Doppler FlowmetryMaleDronabinolcannabinoidsdronabinol–tetrahydrocannabinolglaucomalaser speckle flowgraphyoptical coherence tomography angiographyoptic nerve head blood flowrandomized controlled clinical trialvessel densities

Identifiers

PMID40772417
PMCPMC12888942

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.