What do Punctal mean?
Puncta are the tiny openings that drain tears from your eyes. About the size of a grain of rice, the plug stops fluid from draining from the eye. This helps keep the eye’s surface moist and comfortable, relieving itchy, burning and red eyes. Punctal plugs are also called punctum plugs, lacrimal plugs or occluders.
How long can punctal plugs stay in?
Temporary or dissolvable punctal plugs usually last from a few days to as long as several months. These types of plugs would be used in circumstances such as preventing dry eyes after LASIK, if you choose to have refractive surgery.
Are punctal plugs worth it?
A 2015 report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology noted that punctal plugs improve symptoms of moderate dry eye that don’t respond to topical lubrication. The report also concluded that serious complications don’t happen very often. If you do have problems with your plugs, let your doctor know right away.
Can punctal plugs make eyes worse?
In fact, punctal plugs may actually worsen dry eyes and blepharitis by trapping cytokines, chemokines, metalloproteinases and T cells on the ocular surface with ultimate worsening of dry eye symptoms.
Do punctal plugs dissolve?
Temporary punctal plugs are made of collagen, and they’ll dissolve after a few months. Plugs made of silicone are meant to last for years. The plugs come in different sizes, so your doctor will need to measure the opening of your tear duct.
Can I remove punctal plugs myself?
Temporary punctal plugs dissolve naturally and do not require removal. Permanent punctal plugs do not need to be removed unless you are bothered by them or develop an infection (which is extremely rare). Removing punctal plugs is usually very easy. Your doctor may take out the plug using forceps.
What does punctal occlusion do?
Punctal occlusion is a painless procedure in which the puncta (small openings in the corners of the eyes through which tears drain—the tear ducts) are blocked. Blocking the puncta increases the number of tears available to bathe the front part of the eye by decreasing the number of tears that drain away from the eye.