Smart Plug removal, advice need, any doctor recomendations for CO

[Lizzy8888]

I had Lasik about 8 years ago and had what I've found are called smartplugs inserted into the lower tear ducts of both eyes to help with moderate dry eyes. About 2-3 years after they were inserted I had an infection in the right bottom tear duct which oozed out puss but cleared up without treatment in about a week. Now in the last year though I've had 3 infections in the same eye and all have required oral antibiotics and eye drops to clear up.

The latest infection is actually still on going and I'm hoping will clear up with antibiotics. I went to the doctor who preformed the lasik during this latest infection and he tried to irrigate the eye while still infected and was unable to. It was actually quite uncomfortable and I almost passed out.

He wants me to come back once the antibiotics are done and the infection is cleared for another flush. Reading other posts on here it sounds like he should not have tried to irrigate while infected and I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable returning to the same doctor.

Any recommendations for doctors experienced with smart plug removal in or around Colorado? I didn't notice any in other posts, but could have missed it.

Or any good advice for next steps? I'd definitely like to try to avoid the surgery that I've seen mentioned.

[spmcc]

From the study here (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16920195), I found

The SmartPlug Study Group consists of the following authors:

Joseph A. Mauriello, Jr, MD, private practice, Summit, New Jersey;
Bita Esmaeli, MD, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas;
Amjad Ahmad, MD, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois;
Kathleen F. Archer, MD, private practice, Houston, Texas;
Thomas A. Bersani, MD, Eye Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery of Central New York, Syracuse, New York;
Kenneth V. Cahill, MD, Ophthalmic Surgeons and Consultants of Ohio, Inc., Columbus, Ohio;
Karen L. Chapman, MD, University of South Florida Tampa, Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Sarasota, Florida;
Kenneth A. Feldman, MD, private practice, Harbor City, California;
James W. Gigantelli, MD, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska;
Andrea N. Hass, MD, private practice, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida;
Jemshed A. Khan, MD, Khan Eyelid and Facial Plastic, Overland Park, Kansas;
Paul D. Langer, MD, private practice, Newark, New Jersey;
William J. Lipham, MD, Minnesota Eye Consultants, P.A., Bloomington, Minnesota;
Don Liu, MD, University Physicians of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri;
Thaddeus S. Nowinski, MD, private practice, Lansdale, Pennsylvania;
B. C. K. Patel, MD, Moran Eye Center, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah;
Rona Z. Silkiss, MD, California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, California;
Valerie Vick, MD, Premier Medical Group, Mobile, Alabama.

I'm sorry... I don't see anyone listed in Colorado. Perhaps if you contacted a few doctors on the list they could recommend a knowlegable colleague in Colorado.

There's someone here on DEZ who recently had smartplug removal surgery with Dr. Gigantelli in Omaha. She posted about her success.

I had all four of my smartplugs flushed in 2010 and it worked for me. I'm sorry it didn't for you. Wishing you all the best.