Please give me feedback on plugs

[hopingforacure]

I had Parasol (by Odyssey) plugs inserted on my lower lids on five days ago. The good news is they seem to be helping, the bad news is I can feel them when I look down and to the side and sometimes when I turn my head quickly. My eye doctor assures me it's not harming my eyes BUT how can it be good to feel that scraping sensation???? I'm feeling very scared!!!! Any advice or suggestions would help me.

[indrep]

If it hurts its not good. Your alternatives are 90 day plugs every 90-100 days, Form Fit plugs or cautery. The first two are plugs that are completely inserted below the punctal ring and the last is a minor surgical procedure using heat to close the punctum. They each have their risks and benefits.

[manitobaskyline]

Sounds like the plugs are too small. In order for them not to hurt, they need to fit extremely snuggly. I have a doctor that is really good at putting them in. I had another doctor that nearly killed me trying. It's an art. Try asking them to put the size larger in before giving up on plugs. If they are not willing, maybe try another doctor.

[posey]

I have the exact same concern after getting these plugs in about 3 weeks ago. At times it feels likes scraping, it's brutal. I can't imagine that's not bad for the eyes.

@ Indrep: Thank you for spelling out the available options. Now to do more research into risks and benefits, there is so much to consider, it's overwhelming.

[Guest]

I don't feel my lower plugs at all (they are permanent, umbrella-style ones). If you are feeling a lot of discomfort from them, my feeling is that that's not good.

Maybe they weren't put in quite right... or maybe your puncta point inwards so much that no matter how well the plugs are inserted, they will rub. My doc said permanent (umbrella-style) plugs for my uppers would not work because my puncta pointed in towards my eyeball too much... that's why I ended up with my uppers cauterized.

Can you see someone for a second opinion? Maybe an optometrist who does a lot of dry eye stuff would be a good start? (I'm thinking easier to get an appt. with an optometrist than an ophthamologist). I found my optometrist by looking through the ads in the yellow pages for one that specified they treat post-lasik patients (I figured anyone seeing post-lasik people has better odds of getting practice at treating dry eyes!)

You could always have the plugs removed... at least now you know they help you... it's just a matter of figuring out if well-fitted plugs will work for you at all... if not, then I suppose you could look into cautery (trust me, it's not as scary as it sounds! )

[calli66]

I had those same plugs a couple of years ago, but had them removed after 8 months or so. The doctor said they had been rubbing my eyes. But that's not the reason I had them removed---I had gotten used to the sensation. The extra tears were trapping lots of inflammatory debris in my eyes, causing dermatitis and itching on my eyelids. (I have Sjogren's and have a tendency toward inflammation).

Calli