Order Punctal Plugs as a private person?

[Kristie]

This may sound very strange, please don't try this at home. Always contact a licensed doctor!
But is it possible to order Punctal Plugs online?

/Kristie

[indrep]

Kristie, punctal occlusion is considered a surgical procedure and they should not be available tot he public.

[Guest]

Yes, after having them inserted myself, I can't imagine how it would be possible to do it at home - well, unless you have a friend who is an optometrist and will put them in for you But if that's the case, I suppose they could order the plugs for you.

So now I'm curious... why are you trying to order them yourself???

[Kristie]

I don't share that view, seems like something everyone can do...

But why, when/if they fall out I need to order a visit to my doctor. It takes time and I think the price is way too high. (compared to the price of plugs) So why not do it at home?

[jenny2008]

i just had one replaced on the lower-then the upper fell out-and i am told by my doc to hold off on the warm compress and massage for days.. and to wait on the plug vs. cautery for my upper right...
i agree with u on the cost... i used to pay $40 copay for a plug-now with Medicare anthem access my copay is $185 for a plug and $185 for cautery~! yikes

but how woud u even put the plug in yourself? sometimes the drs have trouble.. i dont see how you would?

[Rebecca Petris]

I think the pricing is a valid point of frustration for patients. But DIY is not a reasonable alternative.

[spmcc]

I went through a period where I wanted all four puncta sealed and the only way to do this was to keep going back to a Lasik place and paying $100 per plug for 3-month dissolvables. Because I didn't get any benefit, I would go back almost monthy to get more plugs! The cost was frustrating so I checked prices online and they run about $10 per pair!!!

Unfortunately, you can't buy them without some kind of medical ID.

Anyway, once when I was at this Lasik place getting more plugs, the doctor (optometrist) told me she had dry eyes and inserts her own 3-month dissolvable plugs. So it can be done.

Personally, I certainly would have done it if I could buy the plugs myself.

Anyway, now I'm plug-free... all four puncta are cauterized (I was just going through the steps of plug after plug after plug to show my doctor that I need all four puncta cauterized).

Good luck!

[robster]

What I would say in response to that spmcc is that there is a big difference between a trained optometrist putting their own plugs in and a member of the general public putting their own plugs in. As someone who has had plugs put in on two separate occasions I just don't think it would be safe or even possible for someone untrained to put their own plugs in.

Both times I had my plugs in I had an injection in my lids so as the insertion of the plugs would not be too uncomfortable and even with the injection I could still feel quite clearly the plugs being put in. I remember the second time I had them put in the Optometrist took a few tries to put them in and even the first time when a surgeon put my plugs in he said that it was a very tricky thing to do.

Kristie have you had plugs put in before? I'm just asking not to be rude but because the people who say that you can't do it yourself are those who have had them put in. It's a very tricky procedure that requires a lot of precision and a very steady hand. I personally wouldn't even dare to try to put plugs in myself.

[Tankie]

I've had my lower plugs done twice.

The first time, literally by the time I got home (30 min after the appointment) they had both fallen out. The ophthalmologist was really bad, and after seeing him one or two more times I never saw him again. That cost me $200 ($100 per plug).

The second time, the doctor put them in and they've been there ever since. I've still got them today. Cost me $150 per plug ($300 total since I just had both lowers done).

I can definitely understand the frustration if the doctor doesn't know how to insert them properly and this repeatedly costs you big money. By the way, I got my first set of plugs done around November 2010 and the second set around January 2011.

[spmcc]

I've had at least 40 plugs in my 17 years of DE. The types of plugs include 10-day dissolvables, countless 30-day dissolvables, probably ~12 silicone, and even 4 intracanalicular. I've never even heard of someone getting local (injection) anesthetic to get plugs inserted! I usually get them with nothing (not even anesthetic drops... I don't like anesthetic drops because I get backlash DE/pain from them).

The last doctor (who inserts her own plugs) told me that the only reason why most doctors use anesthetic drops is because the patients expect them. The drops don't freeze the area of the punctum to help with any aspect of plug insertion. She barely touched me... felt like a light feather tickle when she inserted 30-day dissolvables in my two upper puncta.

Inserting plugs should *never* be painful. Yes, they fall out (or dissolve - two reasons why I've had so many plugs). But not painful. The doctor may dilate the hole, but it shouldn't be painful. It makes no sense to me that anyone having plugs inserted says it's painful. Sticking a finger in the nose doesn't cause pain even tho the nostril isn't even that "expandable" (tho I wouldn't know that ).

[robster]

Wasn't painful but was uncomfortable and I wrongfully called it an anesthetic injection it was actually numbing drops rather than an injection(the injection was them using a long needle-like device to insert the plugs) as I initially said. But the drops were used to make the procedure more comfortable and even then I found it quite uncomfortable.

I believe that without the numbing drops having the plugs inserted would most definitely have been painful spmcc. After all they are putting a foreign object in your tear ducts. I haven't had any problems since having my second set of plugs inserted over 6 months ago and they are both happily sitting in my tear ducts so whatever they did when putting them in certainly worked. I just don't think it's a good idea for anyone to go poking around in their tear ducts as they could damage them. I agree that the prices charged for inserting them are way too high but unfortunately there is no alternative.