Loss of plug?

[LasikLady]

Is it possible to lose an upper plug (the kind that is buried in the canal) without knowing it? For the last 5 hours my right eye completely quit overtearing. The left one remains the same. This is really strange. I didn't feel myself swallowing anything unusual. The bottom plug is in there because that one I can see. All I can figure is the upper migrated out somehow? I didn't rub my eye or anything.
One good thing, although I have no overtearing I also have no pain or dryness at the moment in that eye. It feels the most "normal" that it has ever felt since surgery. Very weird.
Except for the loss of a plug, what else might make my once drippy eye suddenly stop?
I'm afraid it may start feeling really dry again.
Any thoughts?

[lboogie]

Hmmm, hopefully it means good things!! Maybe your doctor can take a look for you? How is the eye doing today?

[LasikLady]

I'm not sure what is going on but today things remain the same.

The right eye has no overflow and feels a ity bity bit dry but not uncomfortable yet and probably within normal range. Could be I am just very used to it being overly wet too. If it gets no drier I will be happy with it. It definitely feels more normal than before I had the upper plug done, but that could be because of additional healing in the last 9 months. Now I feel like if I had waited for the uppers to be done maybe both eyes would be feeling like the right one does now. But who knows. At this point I am 25 1/2 months post op.

The left eye continues to need blotting here and there and definitely is wetter. I'm trying to decide which I like better, the really wet feeling or the slightly dry feeling. It does feel weird to have both eyes feeling so different. Luckily lately I have been feeling 0 pain and very little irritation, even before this plug fell out or whatever has happened to me. Seems like when I hit the 2year mark early in October things improved more. Could be that I am just in a "good spell" but those usually don't last a whole month. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Can a doctor tell if a plug migrated out if it was buried in the canal?

[kitty]

I had the same thing happen. I don't know if it is the upper plug, lower or both. I had always had excess tearing in that eye ever since I got double plugged. One day a couple of weeks ago, it suddenly stopped. That eye now feels as dry as the other one that is single plugged. I have the intracanalicular plugs (the type in the canal, not on top). I have not been to my doc to find out where the plugs are. Indrep here said that they can migrate down into the lacrimal system. I would think if it came out the other way, you would have felt it. I lost a couple that way and it felt like one heck of an eyelash in my eye. Best thing to do is go to the eye doc and find out if the plug is still there. I suppose it could have repositioned itself in such a way as to allow more tears to escape, as plugs are not necessarily designed to provide complete occlusion. If my plug is gone, I personally, would not be too comfortable having another one put in not knowing for certain where the other one is, or isn't.

[LasikLady]

Yeah I have definitely lost the upper plug or it migrated or shifted somehow. If it it indeed somewhere in my lacrimal system, will it hurt anything being wherever it is? I have no pain anywhere as of yet. I am still trying to decide what I like more. The really wet or the slightly dry. Actually, during the day the drier eye feels almost normal. In the evening I do feel an occasional slight dry feeling. No pain just a bit of dryness. I'm leaning towards liking that more than the wettness and blotting all day. I think.

Now I am really considering asking the doctor to try a flow control plug on my bottom left eye. If I could get that tearing under control I think my eyes would be the most "normal" that they have been since this darn surgery. 2 doctors have said the absolutely would not remove the upper plugs since they are the intracanicular type.

I am changing health insurance in January so I may wait until then so I don't have to change doctors in the middle of trying a different plug.

But yeah, would having that upper plug drifting somewhere in my lacrimal canal cause any type of infection or other problem???

[kitty]

Yeah I have definitely lost the upper plug or it migrated or shifted somehow. If it it indeed somewhere in my lacrimal system, will it hurt anything being wherever it is? I have no pain anywhere as of yet. I am still trying to decide what I like more. The really wet or the slightly dry. Actually, during the day the drier eye feels almost normal. In the evening I do feel an occasional slight dry feeling. No pain just a bit of dryness. I'm leaning towards liking that more than the wettness and blotting all day. I think.

Now I am really considering asking the doctor to try a flow control plug on my bottom left eye. If I could get that tearing under control I think my eyes would be the most "normal" that they have been since this darn surgery. 2 doctors have said the absolutely would not remove the upper plugs since they are the intracanicular type.

I am changing health insurance in January so I may wait until then so I don't have to change doctors in the middle of trying a different plug.

But yeah, would having that upper plug drifting somewhere in my lacrimal canal cause any type of infection or other problem???

It can cause an infection or granuloma around the plug. I read an article printed many years ago about one person from whom they retrieved 7 plugs from the lacrimal sac. Go to Google and search punctal plug migration and you will find a few horror stories. That is why I would not want another until I was certain that the lost plug was not retained in the lacrimal system. Here is a link to one article: http://www.cgmh.org.tw/cgmj/2506/250610.pdf