How much do upper plugs help?

[stephgurl1986]

hey @ all,

How much do upper plugs help?
I have lower plugs and I still need drops way too often so I thought upper plugs might be a good idea. Unfortunately all the doctors in Germany I've been to keep telling me that upper plugs usually don't help etc.
What do you think???

[atta]

Hi

Hi,
Im also in Germany. Karlsruhe.
I used to had 4 plugs and I can tell you, if lower 2 didnt help you out, it wouldnt be much help if you add the upper 2. Your doctor is kind to tell you the truth. My doctor was not so honest and he said I should plug all 4 if my eyes were very dry. I was believing him and spent a lot of money, without big progress.
Still you can try them out, doctors offer some short period plugs, for 3 days. But caution, even if you feel they helped in the 3 days, it doesnt mean they really help. My experience is, I got a lot of tears in the first 4 or 5 days, and I thought the plugs really helped out. But after a week, the dryness was back again, beacause the eyes got used to the plugs and theres was no irriations tear anymore.
With plugs you need more than a week to test if they would help you.

[dianat]

Plugging my uppers made a huge difference to me. I did not notice much change with my lowers done. Plugs in the uppers helped keep more tears in my eyes, but but the plug itself rubbed on my eye. I opted for cautery in all four. Here's my story. You might also look in the plugs section and read the other posts.

http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showthread.php?t=115

[Jade9923]

You're doctor is wrong. Lower plugs did very little for me. Once I added upper plugs I was totally comfortable. No drops needed at all. I'll translate for you what your doctor really meant: I can't be bothered with playing with more plugs with you. These plugs are a pain in the .... , take way too much of my time. I have no time for this! He also has never had dry eyes and has no idea what you are even going through. When I added the 2 upper plugs, I went from being miserable wondering how I was going to survive to being almost completely comfortable.

Find another doctor who gives a hoot about your pain and who will put in the time it requires to help you.

[atta]

Hi,
I guess it might depend on the surface of individual eyes. Or maybe the upper plugs irritate the eyes more and that brings more tears. Thats not bad.
I know when I was at the dentist, I would get less dryness the rest of the day. I have very serious dry eyes and my punctae are very small too. Everytime I got lower plugged, the doctor has a lot of difficulty and I get a lot of pain.