Eye's

[jasonsmith]

Jason,

These are punctual eye plugs, which are placed into the tear ducts.  You can read more about it at the site DryEyeZone; go to the "encyclopedia" section. 

There's a great description of how and why they are used.

Yeah, I know about the punctual eye plugs. I was asking what kinds tend to be more comfortable? As there are several different types of punctual eye plugs. They are made with different materials, sizes, shapes, some stick out, some stay inside the tear duct, some are temporary, some are permanent, etc.

I guess I was looking for reveiws on the different types that people liked.

[Patze]

Hi Jason,

It depends as everyone is different and what may work for me might not work well for you and vise versa. 

I have the the original punctual plugs in both eyes, and unfortunately one plug in my left eye keeps coming out....whew, its getting a bit expensive to keep replacing.   I hated these plugs when they were first put in because my eyes were so dry they would scratch the heck out of them (like I needed more pain).  I hung in there and my eyes are not nearly as bad, but I'm still having issues with them. 

I would talk to your opthamologist to see what he would recommend for your eyes (I love going to mine because she always gives me a few full sized boxes of drops, sure saves some bucks).

Good luck and hang in there, okay?  And don't forget to let us know what kind of plugs that you get.

Take care of yourself -

Patze

[meh07]

I don't know what else anyone is doing besides the drops (or plugs)but my opthamologist has me doing(in the morning and at night) hot compresses for 5-10 minutes, followed by lid cleaning, followed by pressing on the top of the bottom lid and bottom of the top lid.  After that's done I put in the drops.  He prescribed Restasis but I'm currently only using Systane.  This routine seems to help. 

I've been very busy the last several days and haven't had time to do it all so have tried just the drops and I fee a huge difference.  My left eye feels like something is in it, both eyes feel dry and my eyelids(where the lashes attach) are so very very itchy.  So I'm starting my routine again tonight.

[valene2009]

i have severe mgd on top of sjogrens-like many of you on here. i too do warm compresses and then massage after.. my left eye tends to flare up for days/ sometimes weeks--so bone dry and irritated... right eye usually fine to deal with. anyway... first time today i used an ice pack for 20 minutes on my left eye.. it helped for about an hour.. better than nothing!

also, i would def get a dif doc. u have nothing to lose at this point. there are diff sizes and styles of plugs.. i have had plugs put in by dif docs-and had dif results because certain brands of plugs worked better in my eyes. trial and error..

please dont use tweezers. ouch. take care

[jasonsmith]

Hi Jason,

It depends as everyone is different and what may work for me might not work well for you and vise versa. 

I have the the original punctual plugs in both eyes, and unfortunately one plug in my left eye keeps coming out....whew, its getting a bit expensive to keep replacing.   I hated these plugs when they were first put in because my eyes were so dry they would scratch the heck out of them (like I needed more pain).  I hung in there and my eyes are not nearly as bad, but I'm still having issues with them. 

I would talk to your opthamologist to see what he would recommend for your eyes (I love going to mine because she always gives me a few full sized boxes of drops, sure saves some bucks).

Good luck and hang in there, okay?  And don't forget to let us know what kind of plugs that you get.

Take care of yourself -

Patze

Sounds like you need a different plug. They have plugs that sit below the eye lid level so it doesn't touch the eye.

I called the eye doctor's office and asked for Restasis. Kinda funny he didn't offer it to me when I had seen him last, but I had to ask for it. I was told he wanted me to come back in a couple of months after being on Restasis. I ended up getting a routine eye exam before then while I was waiting on the Restasis. And I asked him about plugs. And he said he puts plugs in a couple of months after being on Restasis. As I guess he didn't want to wait to see if Restasis alone fixed the dry eye issue.

Though, I know Restasis says it doesn't show a benefit if you have plugs in?

[valene2009]

I just wanted to thank Bloodless for this reply..))
i needed to hear some Positive thoughts! I agree new drugs will come our way..nothing stays stagnant.

Outside of plugs, it's restasis and eye drops. Change docs and keep asking about it. Sooner or later there will be new drugs.

[Cheryl]

Jason,
The doctor who first plugged my  eyes told me that he would only do it if I promised to stay on the Restasis.   He said that it's easier to get infections when the ducts are plugged, and the Restasis has some anti-inflammatory effect.   I bet that's why your dr wants you to start the Restasis first.

I also asked my dr about what I had read - that restasis supposedly doesn't work with plugs.   He said that Restasis was tested on people who did not have plugs, and so they have to use a disclaimer about recommending it with plugs.  That doesn't mean that it won't work with plugs.   (Many of us have both.)

You mentioned the types of plugs available.   I want to alert you that the "permanent" plugs can come out, too.   Mine did.

Best wishes to all of you!  I know that reading the experiences of others in here has helped me a lot.  If nothing else, it gives us intelligent questions to bring up at dr's visits.  When I was referred to the specialist who did my cauterization, he introduced himself and said,"Dr. ______ tells me that you have Sjogrens and that you are very educated about dry eyes."  (Thank you, Sjogrensworld!)

Have a good day!  Use your drops!
Cheryl

[jasonsmith]

Jason,
The doctor who first plugged my  eyes told me that he would only do it if I promised to stay on the Restasis.   He said that it's easier to get infections when the ducts are plugged, and the Restasis has some anti-inflammatory effect.   I bet that's why your dr wants you to start the Restasis first.

I also asked my dr about what I had read - that restasis supposedly doesn't work with plugs.   He said that Restasis was tested on people who did not have plugs, and so they have to use a disclaimer about recommending it with plugs.  That doesn't mean that it won't work with plugs.   (Many of us have both.)

You mentioned the types of plugs available.   I want to alert you that the "permanent" plugs can come out, too.   Mine did.

Best wishes to all of you!  I know that reading the experiences of others in here has helped me a lot.  If nothing else, it gives us intelligent questions to bring up at dr's visits.  When I was referred to the specialist who did my cauterization, he introduced himself and said,"Dr. ______ tells me that you have Sjogrens and that you are very educated about dry eyes."  (Thank you, Sjogrensworld!)

Have a good day!  Use your drops!
Cheryl

The reason I wondered that is because the Restasis website says that Restasis didn't increase tear production in patients using anti-inflammatory eye drops or had tear duct plugs. So, they make it seem like there was a test done.

[connectedvisions]

TK,

After reading your post I understand that punctual plugs, gel, and other lubricants are not entirely meeting your needs for treating your dry eye symptoms. I wanted to tell you about PROSE Treatment: prosthetic replacement of the ocular surface ecosystem. PROSE Treatment was developed by the Boston Foundation for Sight (BFS), and has an 85% success rate for individuals with Sj?grens syndrome.

A 2009 survey conducted by BFS indicated that it is common for individuals with Sj?grens to only have limited success in treating their symptoms with lubricants and/or punctual plugs. However, these same individuals found much greater success in PROSE treatment?s impact on their symptoms of pain, light sensitivity, and difficulties completing activities that rely heavily on visual abilities. Therefore, I think PROSE may be one potential treatment option for you as you are considering more long-term solutions.

If you are interested in learning more, here are some relevant links:

?   Overview of BFS and PROSE Treatment: www.bostonsight.org/About-PROSE
?   PROSE Treatment for Sj?grens syndrome: http://www.bostonsight.org/For-Patients/Common-Conditions/Sj?grens-Syndrome

Feel free to contact me if I can answer any questions for you about PROSE Treatment.

Wishing you well,

Janice M. Epstein
Online Community Advocate
Boston Foundation for Sight
Connected Visions