Cautery

[LauraB]

I began having a lot of tearing right after having the upper puncta cauterized, so I don't think they could have come open so quickly.

[rg3083]

Cauterized tear ducts

I have had my bottom ducts cauterized 4 times in 2 years. They keep reopening. 2 different Dr.'s. Any suggetions?

[indrep]

rg
In all likelihood your puncta would not "hold" a silicone plug. You are most likely going to need an intracanlicular plug if punctal occlussion is your desire. I have seen a technicue for suturing the puncta however. If you decide on the intracanlicular plug I would make sure, if it was me, to avoid the Herrick and Medinium Smart Plug versions. Herrick for sure and the Smart Plug has had some issues but not in great numbers.

[lchristi2]

Lori

Hi, I'm new here. Ironically, I found this site AFTER weeks of online research about punctal cauterization and having the procedure done on my lower right punctum.

I've been a dry eye sufferer (perhaps mild compared to some of the posts I've read here -- I just want to get back to being able to comfortably wear contact lenses) for about 6 years. Before plugs, I tried the standard drops (systane, Liquid Gel, et al), which didn't help and were annoying.

I've had several types of plugs put in my eyes over the years - permanent silicon (various colors), collagen/dissolvable, etc. Since my puncta are not the same size (6mm left, 8mm right) and somewhat large, it has been a challenge of my various opthalmologists to satisfy me. After the last pair of plugs fell out about 2 years ago, I went on a plug hiatus. Last July I had collagen plugs put back in so I could try to wear contacts again (but no success). 4 months later I wanted to try permanent ones again, but as usual, the necessary size had too large of a head on it, and it scraped my eye.

So I decided to cauterize and had the bottom right one done tonight.

My questions are (though somewhat after-the-fact):

1) I've never had a Schirmer test done; I asked my doctor if I should do it and he shrugged it off; I even suggested having it done incrementally over the next few months to measure improvement, but he didn't seem to think it was necessary. Is this unusual?

2) I've never tried Restasis; since I don't do well with drops, and plugs worked for me in the past, I've been advised by all of my various opthalmologists to stick to plugs. But I've been told I can try Restasis if cautery proves to be lacking. Should I have tried Restasis first?

3) I've never had the top puncta plugged; should cautery of the lower puncta prove ineffective, would it be beneficial to first try plugging the top puncta before cauterizing them?

4) There are numerous posts on this forum about cautery, but only a few that share first-hand experience...anyone else (who hasn't posted previously) want to share new experiences?

Thanks all, I love this site, wish I'd found it years ago.

Best,
Aaron

Hi Aaron,
I just had my lower left puncta cauterized after years of dry eyes and plugs that wouldn't stay in. The lower right could not be done due to scar tissue from the plugs. I am now having reflex tearing in the left eye and am very upset that I have had this procedure done. I am actually hoping and praying that it will somehow open itself back up. I just saw my doctor today and was told that the excess tearing should stop eventually. I feel panicked about the fact that I had something done that cannot be reversed. At least the plugs could be removed. I am hoping I can relax and my eyes will settle down and things will be like they were when I had the plugs in. Oh, a bonus is that the doctor hit a blood vessel with the injection and I have an ugly purplish/black blood blister right below my left eye. I am told that will take about 10 days to go away. So it was a very bad experience that I am hoping will get much better. I am grateful that he was not able to cauterize the right eye. Did you have any reflex tearing at first? I really hope that goes away soon. It is comforting to talk with other people who know what this is like. Thanks for sharing your story. I would appreciate any advice.

[Cmonky99]

Cautery Recovery

Hi,

I'm new here, I found this site by googling "punctal cautery." I am having my right-lower puncta cauterized on Monday, and am a little worried about the procedure. How long will the recovery take? Will I be able to go to work directly after the procedure?

Thanks,
Jenna

[Guest]

I had my uppers done just recently... here is a link to my post about it

http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showt...ery+experience

I wouldn't go back to work the same day though... if you're like me, your lids will be swollen from the injection of anesthetic, which looks a bit odd. Also, especially on the first day, my eyes felt quite uncomforable at the cautery site if I looked around too much... it was easier to just chill out and rest my eyes for the rest of the day while I slept or listened to my audiobook.

The good news: cautery is the best thing that's happened to me since LASIK screwed up my eyes! My eyes can be a bit TOO wet at times, but that's pure heaven compared to being bone dry.

Good luck!

[regina]

all four plugged

I just had my uppers done...its feels better than before. My bottoms were done 2 years ago. I had very little pain with my cauterization. My doc just put numbing drops in and did it. Few seconds later...all done. My eyes did have excessive tearing for a few days...but went away...and now I feel good...hopefully it will last. I actually can sit in my house without googles but I still wear them at the office.