Duraplug: Any experiences?

[Rebecca Petris]

Please see: http://www.dryeye.org/pdf/duraplug.pdf

Has anyone here tried these? or any doc reading the BB prescribed them? It's a canalicular plug that lasts 60-180 days. They are advertised for lasik dry eye among other things.

[jcorbett]

It would be interesting to hear the cost of these babies. Docs charge an arm and a leg for the regular kind....and those can fall out anyway.

[Missy]

How do you know what kind of plugs you have? After lasik I had plugs put in the bottem, but the doctor didn't tell me anything about what kind they were. Are some kinds better than others?
Missy

[Rebecca Petris]

How do you know what kind of plugs you have?

Only by asking. I don't think any doctor would normally mention it on his own, since most patients wouldn't know anything about the different possibilities.

Are some kinds better than others?

Hard question to answer. It's really partly a matter of different kinds of designs and sizes working differently for different people, I think (just like there are all different brands/types of contact lenses).

There is a partial list of plug types at this link, and more information and links about individual types can be found in the Dry Eye Encyclopedia.

[SusieD]

I am supposed to be having the duraplugs (made of gel) fitted next week.
I was originally going to have the silicone ones as I prefered the fact that I could see if they had come out or not. However the silicone one that I had in just to try has been scraping on my eye and because of this my doctor now doesnt want to put all four in. Instead he wants to put these in. I have been told they are slightly more expensive than the silicone ones.

I asked how long they are likely to last and he said that the company that makes them told him they can last a long time but that they wouldnt commit to a specific time frame. He did not tell me that they were dissolvable but they obviously dont last forever and some people have said 60-180 days so I dont know. Im a bit sceptical - they are not cheap and I have no way of knowing whether or not they have fallen out.

Apparently they come in just one size and once inside, they swell to the size of your punctum. Depending on how quickly they do actually disolve, presumably they will just fall out anyway once they shrink a bit.

I wish I could have the other ones - but if they irritate then that wont do my eyes any favours either.

[SusieD]

I take it back.

After reading up on the Dura plug - I dont think this is what was described to me as this plug comes in different sizes.

[Rebecca Petris]

Smartplugs maybe?

[shells]

I believe that I have plugs similar to the Dura plug. They are "Oasis Extended Duration" plugs. Their life is a bit shorter than the Dura Plug though as they are only supposed to last 3 months. I have no idea how much they cost though, since my insurance covered it.

However, like Susie mentioned, the problem with these is that you have no way of telling if they are still in there, or how much of them is left. I liked the idea of the ones with the little cap, but my doctor did not want to do them because she thought as my corneal nerves healed from my lasik, they would have to be pulled out at some point anyway, so the dissolvable ones were the way to go.

Last time I was there, she put dye in my eye and then let me sit there for 10 minutes, and when she came back the dye was still in my eye, so she determined that the plugs still were in there. She can't tell how effective they still are though.

Does anyone know if it is possible to insert a silicone plug over the dissolvable ones even if they haven't completely dissolved yet? Mine have only been in about 7 weeks but I'm not sure they are really fully blocking my tears from draining, and the doctors can't tell me if they are either. I want to try the silicone ones, but don't want to have to wait it out till I'm sure these other ones are gone.

Shells

[untkicker29]

shells i am having the same problem as you. I had the duraplugs insterted in early December, but really have not noticed much difference with them in, and wish I knew if they were even still in there because I think I am ready to try the ones with a cap on them or maybe even get back on a steroid drop to try and solve the inflamation problem, if thats even my problem.

[SusieD]

I dont think theyre smart plugs. My doc described them to me on the phone and I looked them up - I think its the oasis 'form-fit' gel plugs. As far as I know these do not dissolve.

I wish I could tolerate the capped plugs - I just like the idea of them being where I can see them, making it easier to evaluate their effectiveness. I am still a bit worried about having the ones that you cant see, however my eyes feel bad and I am desperate to try something. My doctor has involved me in the decision making about what plug to put in, but due to the level of discomfort I experience just having one silicone plug (to try) he was very reluctant to do all four.

Talking of which - this silicone plug is now out and has not been in a full week. It had been sticking up a little bit and scratching even more so I pulled it out myself quite easily using tweezers - there was no resistance so I guess it must have been too small for me anyway. Despite this, the eye had felt better for it being there. This is why I think Im just going to have to bite the bullet and give the other plugs a try.

I think cautery is the way to go for me - even though I know its still early days. I doubt I'd be able to get that on the NHS though until I can prove Ive had enough benefit from plugs.