Oasis Form Fit nightmare today

[zuzu70]

Well, I went to my optometrist (who also does some dry eye work) to have a 30-day dissolvable plug put in. While waiting for the doctor to come in, I looked at the plug package that had been laid on the counter. It was Oasis Form Fit Hydrogel Intracanalicular Plug, 3mm diameter X 2.5 mm long. I questioned the doctor about this, telling him that under no circumstances did I want a non-dissolvable intracanalicular plug. He assured me that hydrogel was dissolvable. He installed it, I went home and to my horror discovered online that Oasis FormFit Hydrogel does not appear to be dissolvable, but rather one of the ones that expand upon contact with tears. In a panic within two hours I was able to get in to see the ophthalmologist that my mom used to work for, and she irrigated the tear duct to try to flush the plug out. At first the saline encountered great resistance, but then it seemed as though the plug must have flushed, because the saline then flowed rather freely down the back of my throat.

Two questions: 1. Did any of you successfully have your plug flushed out...is that what it felt like?
2. Will I ever have any reassurance that the plug didn't just migrate further down the nasolacrimal duct? Should I have it flushed again?

I'm still shaken from the incident.

[indrep]

zuzu, that is 90% water when hydrated. When irrigation is used to remove it, the hydrogel "shreds" into mucous like strings and is washed out. My wife has had those for eight years by the way, so they are not dissolvable.

[zuzu70]

Thank you for the information, indrep. I'm grateful for your first-hand knowledge. If it shreds into mucous-like strings, does that mean it's definitely out of me, or does it mean I'll have teeny tiny strings of this material in my nose forever?

[indrep]

I cant say for absolute sure because we can;t see it. My experience of speaking with doctors who use these frequently is that it is washed out . I think that plug has been on the market for about nine years and there has not been any published or reported problems.