Punctal Plugs (Lacrimal Plugs) for Dry Eyes
Your eyes are primarily lubricated by tears produced by tear glands located in your upper eyelids. Natural tears make your eyes feel cool, comfortable, refreshed, and help prevent infection of your eye and eyelids. Blinking spreads a film of tears across the surface of your eyes. The tears move to the inside region of the eye and through the tear drainage ducts into the nose and throat. If there are not enough lubricating tears on the surface of your eyes, you experience dry eye symptoms such as: Dry, red, itchy, burning or watery eyes, irritation and pain. Tear related problems are the most common medical reason people visit the eye doctor.
- Eye drops are expensive and only help temporarily. Lubricating eye drops may temporarily relieve dry eye symptoms. Five minutes after placement, 80% of eye drops drain away from your eyes down into the nose and throat.
- Tears are made up of three layers: oil, water, and mucus. The majority of over-the-counter (OTC) drops are not designed to treat deficiences in all three layers.
- Before using eye drops the doctor must determine which tear film layer is deficient, and then prescribe the appropriate treatment.
- Eye drops dilute natural tears, can cause eye irritation, and may make dry eye symptoms worse!
Common Causes of Dry Eye Symptoms
Environment
Sunny, dry, or windy weather, heaters, air conditioners and high altitudes increase the evaporation of tears from the surface of your eyes. You may experience dry eye symptoms while viewing television, computer screens, or while reading.
Tear Drainage
If you have too much tear drainage, or too little tear production, you may experience dry eye symptoms or related symptoms in the nose, throat and sinuses.
Poor Quality of Tears
Tears are made up of three layers: oil, water and mucus. Each component serves a function in protecting and nourishing the front surface of the eye. A smooth oil layer helps to prevent evaporation of the water layer, while the mucin layer functions in spreading the tears evenly over the surface of the eye. If the tears evaporate too quickly or do not spread evenly over the cornea due to deficiencies with any of the three tear layers, dry eye symptoms can develop.
Contact Lens Wear
Wearing contact lenses increases tear evaporation and related dry eye symptoms. Dryness may result in protein deposits on the contact lenses, eye irritation, pain, infection, or sensitivity to contact lens solutions.
Dry eye symptoms are the number one reason people stop wearing contact lenses.
Aging
Tear production gradually decreases with age. At age 65 the tear glands produce about 40% of the lubricating tears they produced at age 18. Decreased tear production may cause eye irritation and excess tearing or watery eyes.
Medications
Tear production may be reduced if you take certain medications including: decongestants, antihistamines, betablockers, sleeping pills, anxiety medications, pain relievers, and diuretics. If you are taking any medication, ask the eye doctor if it contributes to your dry eye symptoms.
Can Dryness Damage Your Eyes?
Yes. When left untreated, severely dry eyes may lead to chronic infection of your eye and eyelids, corneal ulceration, scarring, permanent vision loss, or even loss of your eyes.
Punctal Plugs (Lacrimal Plugs)
Lacrimal plugs are small, less than the size of a hair, and available in either dissolvable or non-dissolvable form. Lacrimal plugs provide relief from dry eye symptoms. The eye doctor can insert these plugs in a matter of seconds during an office visit. Insertion is painless. After placement, the plugs cannot be seen, won’t rub out or scratch your cornea, are not felt, and are removable by the eye doctor.
Why Suffer Any Longer?
Worldwide, more than one million people have been treated with dissolvable and non-dissolvable lacrimal plugs. Join the growing number of people who have chosen lacrimal occlusion to overcome their dry eye symptoms.