What are punctal plugs and how do they help?
Punctal plugs are a mechanical way to help dry eye. Toward the nasal part of your eye, you have a drainage duct called the punctum that drains tears from your eye. Simple occlusion of this punctum, by a small removable plug, blocks this drainage system and allows more of the natural tears to stay on the eye for longer periods of time. Because medication and artificial tears don’t drain from the eye as rapidly, punctal occlusion also helps medical therapy by allowing instilled drops to have a greater effect on the surface of the eye. Punctal plugs are very small acrylic or collagen inserts that are painlessly placed in the punctal opening of the eye. When deciding if punctal plugs will help your symptoms, we usually first insert temporary plugs that dissolve in approximately 5 days. If you notice significant decrease in your dry eye symptoms for that trial period, permanent plugs will be inserted. Permanent plugs can be removed at any time in the office.
