Dry eye
Surgical treatment
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| Oasis punctal plugs. |
Artificial tears are very helpful in patients with mild and moderate dry eye but they are not the same as natural tears. Sometimes it is necessary to preserve what tears are being made.
Punctal occlusion
This is achieved by reducing or totally blocking the flow of tears from the eye. The easiest way is to occlude the puncta, the tiny openings that form the entrance into the tear drainage system.
There are two ways to reduce outflow:
- Punctal plugs
- Punctal cautery
Punctal plugs
Tiny cotton-reel shaped silicone plugs can be inserted into the puncta. Originally designed as a temporary solution, punctal plugs can be left in for long periods. The advantages of punctal plugs are:
- They are simple to place
- Occlusion is temporary
- The plugs are easy to remove if the patient develops watery eyes
Punctal cautery
The puncta can be permanently occluded by the creation of scar tissue with heat.
The advantages of permanant occlusion are:
- Occlusion is permanent
- Scar tissue is more effective than plugs