Lakeside Eye Care

DRY EYES and Plugs!

We have all heard of dry eyes and probably have experienced it first hand. The gritty, sandy, dull ache in the eyes that can occur for a myriad of reasons. If this is a chronic feeling and you've tried artificial tears to no avail, then there might be a better solution.

This multifactorial disease of the tears and ocular surface results from insufficient tear production, excessive tear evaporation or abnormal tear composition. Most patients suffering from this complain of burning, itching, redness, sensitivity to light and even reduced visual clarity.

Punctal plugs are an effective treatment option for many people with dry eye syndrome.

You should first know that the punctum is the tiny opening in the lower and upper lid of each eye that allows for tears to drain into a network of pathways that eventually lead to the throat. Without these punctum tears would start over-flowing and spill over the lower eye lids.

If dry eye is related to insufficient tear production then one could argue that "plugging" the punctum would keep tears on the eye longer helping dry eye symptoms.




And that's exactly what happens. A very small silicone (permanent) or collagen (dissolvable) plug is inserted into the opening of the punctum, like a cork in a bottle. Typically only plugging the punctum on the lower lids and not the upper lids is sufficient to yield desired results.

I've used these many times with patients in my practice and have had great success. In my opinion if artifical tears or medications have been ineffective to fight chronic dry eye, Punctal Plugs are a good option. If you have questions or want to know more feel free to contact me through Lakeside Eye Care.

John Calderwood, O.D. ¶ 11:28 AM