Redness and pain from plugs.... Help!

[tiff]

I had dissolving oasis plugs that dissolved. Today I had silicone plugs put in that have hurt since inserted. My eyes are very red and it feels like they are rubbing when I look from side to side. Is this normal? I drove out if state to have this appointment and, since I have two small children, its not at all easy for me to make a trip to have them removed. What should I do? Can another doc remove them? Can I remove them?

On a slightly different note he said if these hurt we can just keep putting the dissolving kind in. Is that a good treatment plan?

[No tears in ATL]

It may take a few days for the pain from insertion to settle down. I had some that felt scratchy the first three days or so, and then it settled down. Some of the initial redness was probably due to the numbing drops they put in (I think it had preservative). Had to get mine removed, but my story is for another day.

As far as redness is concerned, is the redness present where you feel the plug rubbing, or is it the whole eye?

I don't know of many who get the dissolvable plugs inserted time and time again, as that could be rather costly. Most plugs now should have a rather smooth cap that does not rub, or at least that is what my doc told me. There are a number of different sizes and shapes though.

[DCRdryeye]

Sometimes the rubbing against the eyeball from silicone plugs does not go away. Some puncta's are shaped in a way that they point towards the eyeball which doesn't help the problem. I have tried several silicone plugs in my Right eye (the Left eye's punctum is too large to fit any plugs). See how you go, if it doesn't settle down have them removed.

Plugs are a nuisance, they can cause infection, scarring, etc. There are other options such as cautery and having the puncta's sutured.

[tiff]

My eyes are much worse today and I hardly slept because of the pain. They are only red and inflamed in the corners where the plugs are. The plugs look like they are sticking out very far. I'm
Almost surprised he let me leave the office with them like this. I put a call in and will wait to hear back. I also left a message with a doc in my state to see if h would be willing to remove them. Is it a bad idea to have someone else remove them? Is there any risk involved in removal? Could they do damage to my eye if they aren't skilled in removal of this type?

[alisonW]

Yes, another doctor can safely remove them. (I don't recommend this, but I removed several of my own before - using my clean finger nail - with no negative results.) The doc can try other brands or sizes that may not touch your eyeball and will likely feel better. They can also use intracannicular (sp?) plugs that are pushed down into the puncta so there is nothing that can potentially touch/irritate your eye. Those can not be easily removed though and there is increased risk of infection. Good luck!

[tiff]

Just had a local doc remove them. He said one side on both was not flush with my duct and rubbing my eye. He put me on lotemax for today to calm the intense redness. I feel better and am very happy to have them out.

[tiff]

The pain is now gone, thankfully, but the redness has not improved at all. How long might this take? I look horrible and my children are concerned my eyes are bleeding.

[LaDiva]

My eyes were very red for a period, but it was due to eye medication, stress and what I was eating. Since your redness didn't happen until you got the plugs, I would really see an eye doctor ASAP. Do you think it could be the Lotemax?

[Faith1989]

Ladiva what eye medication was causing you red eye? Just curious?

[LaDiva]

Hi Faith,
Azasite. Big time red eye.

[Faith1989]

Azasite isn't approved in Canada, so I have never tried it. I do think my eyes are redder on restasis. Did you find that as well?

[LaDiva]

Not at first. I used Restasis for many years, and it didn't make my eyes red until a couple of years ago, so I finally quit using it. I think it is partly because my tear film is not good, but maybe I am now allergic to it. My eye doctor doesn't push it at me anymore, so I am thinking he doesn't believe it will help much at this point.

[tiff]

The redness came from the plugs. I took lotemax twice a day later. I still have residual redness. Might it be permanent?

[farmgirl]

I am guessing your plugs were on the uppers. I had that problem but tolerate the lowers well. I had the uppers cauterized as I needed all the help I can get being aqueous deficient. I am glad that you got the things removed but cautery could be a good option if you still need the plugs. As for the dissolvable type I didn't find that they sealed well enough, either that or they got too far down the canal and were letting moisture escape past. As for the redness, my guess is it is not permanent. Intercanular plugs are not recommended because of the danger of infection and difficulty in extracting them if something happens...cheers...F/G

[indrep]

For those who do not tolerate the silicone permanent plugs well the 90 day plugs four times a year has been successful.