Smartplugs

[SusieD]

If you have a smart plug that has been there for several months but you dont feel it is really helping you with dryness, should you have it irrigated so you hopefully dont have any future issues/complications with it (especially it its not serving its purpose) - or would it be wiser to let it be?

For all I know, It may not even be where it was placed now anyway, I mean Ive been doing warm compresses, lid massages and the lot.

Rebecca, Ive commented in another thread, but in case you dont see it, How long ago did you have your smart plugs inserted and did you have them removed/irrigated out at any point?

Many thanks.

[Rebecca Petris]

If you have a smart plug that has been there for several months but you dont feel it is really helping you with dryness, should you have it irrigated so you hopefully dont have any future issues/complications with it (especially it its not serving its purpose) - or would it be wiser to let it be?

I'm sure doctors opinions will vary on that one but my guess would be that most will say leave it alone.

Rebecca, Ive commented in another thread, but in case you dont see it, How long ago did you have your smart plugs inserted and did you have them removed/irrigated out at any point?

Sorry, lot of traffic on the BB this week and I'm a bit behind. I have never had anything irrigated out. SmartPlugs are the only intracanalicular plug I've tried. I had them inserted, hm, 2002 or 2003 (I forget). It's been awhile and to be honest I don't even remember whether my last set of FlexPlugs went in before or after those smartplugs. At any rate, at some point I just assumed the smartplugs were gone. However I do recall that a year or so afterwards, I found a tiny sort of mangled piece of something on my finger when cleaning my lids and at the time I suspected it was a leftover smartplug that had finally worked its way out the front.

[SusieD]

I guess the problem is, if at some later stage you do have cautery - having this material still inside somewhere could potentially cause a problem as its not a good idea to cauterize if theres any 'obstruction' in the lacrimal system. But I suppose they would suggest irrigating before cautery anyway to assess whether there are signs of any blockage?

Many thanks.

[Rebecca Petris]

I guess the problem is, if at some later stage you do have cautery - having this material still inside somewhere could potentially cause a problem as its not a good idea to cauterize if theres any 'obstruction' in the lacrimal system.

Absolutely. The same goes for re-plugging. It is possible to put more plugs in without realizing that there are old plugs still there.

But I suppose they would suggest irrigating before cautery anyway to assess whether there are signs of any blockage?

I don't have any experience with this myself so I don't know....

[indrep]

Susie,
You most likely would want to have the lacrimal system irrigated to make sure there was not a plug in there before both cauterization or insertion of more plugs.

[SusieD]

Thanks Indrep

Thats what I thought - put it this way, I wouldnt go through with either if they didnt want to irrigate first. Better safe than sorry.