Anyone tried "Mini Monoka Stents" as Punctal Plugs?

[DCRdryeye]

Last thursday (2 June) I underwent a surgical procedure to have "Mini Monoka Stents" placed into both lower punctas. My occuloplastic surgeon and I decided on them because:

# I refused "smart plugs" due to the negative press I've read on them and having tried Duraplugs with no effect.

# My left lower and upper puncta's have been over dilated due to DCR surgery so most external punctal plugs won't fit me. In fact, the largest plug Eagle makes fell out!!

# I refuse intracanalicular plugs because I don't want to risk them migrating into the tear sac.

So the "Mini Monoka Stents" although usually used to repair canaliculus lacerations, are like an external punctal plug, but a softer material and easier on the eye. They start at the puncta (I can slightly feel them on my eyeball) and bend with the puncta into the canaliculus (like an elbow) and continue into the tear sac. So they are rather long. Still, they are not guaranteed to prevent tear flow my surgeon said. But she is extremely good and I'm sure she'll find a way to tighten them or work on another solution.

During the surgery she had to use a high powered microscope to "tighten" my lower puncta since it was so widely dilated. She had to cut some of the puncta and use micro stitches and I had to wear a patch for one day on the left eye (where the DCR surgery had damaged it in 2007). Currently using Antibiotic and anti-inflammatory drops in the left eye. It feels a bit uncomfortable on the eyeball as I can feel the surgical site.

I have had no discomfort with the stent in the right eye, just a 'slight' sensation of the soft stent cap.

[DCRdryeye]

Just an update.
Last week I had Duraplugs placed in both upper punctas and had another schirmers test (1mm to 2mm in both eyes).
With all four punctas 'plugged' it's made slight difference. Having developed "proud flesh" growing from left eye where stent was put in, I was placed on Steroid drops and can feel them go into my throat. So not totally blocked. The right eye seems blocked having tested by placing foul tasting steroid drops in it, but is sore.
With such a low schirmers score, plugs may not have much affect?

The left stent came out (but that was a much larger puncta), right is still remaining.

[DCRdryeye]

Update

Just an update.
Last week I had Duraplugs placed in both upper punctas and had another schirmers test (1mm to 2mm in both eyes).
With all four punctas 'plugged' it's made slight difference. Having developed "proud flesh" growing from left eye where stent was put in, I was placed on Steroid drops and can feel them go into my throat. So not totally blocked. The right eye seems blocked having tested by placing foul tasting steroid drops in it, but is sore.
With such a low schirmers score, plugs may not have much affect?

The left stent came out (but that was a much larger puncta), right is still remaining.

[Rebecca Petris]

Wow, this is really interesting. Obviously from the lack of response the stents are not something our membership has seen a lot of! Good to see you being very well informed and conservative on those plugs. Sorry you're continuing to have trouble with those wide openings.

[DCRdryeye]

Thank-you for the reply Rebecca. No the stents are not well known on this site it seems. I forgot to mention that the left stent came out because proud flesh (granuloma) formed at the lower puncta underneath the stent, thus growing out and pushing the stent out. The granuloma formed due to bad luck and it had to be slightly cut and stitched to tighten it so it endured more trauma than my right lower puncta. I can confidently say, three months on and the right stent is still in place and doing well ... I highly recommend them as an alternative to plugs since they have a number of advantages (mentioned in my earlier post above).