Help...thermal Cautery What To Do???

[forestblu]

my ophthalmologist said i am a rare case because i had the silcone plugs put in my eye for 4 months ago working fine on the lower lid....the left one popped out 1/2 way.and had to be taken out...eye doctor said my body was producing a scar aound the plug and therefore we cannot try another plug because my body will reject it again.... HUH.... the other eye did not reject it...she is waiting a couple weeksfor it to heal and she said it will reopen ..she is suggesting THERMAL CAUTERY procedure instead of using any plugs because of the above reasons.............i'm seeing her on Friday October 5th 2007 and i think she should retry another plug.....i'm afraid of cauterization because evidently it is not done that much so there may be a potential risk of excessive scaring or mal-formation of the lower line if the person doing it hasn't had much experience and evidently it is a procedure that is not common ....i've read up on thermal cautery and well i am concerned...any suggestions

[Rojzen]

other material for plug?

I'm some years behind plug technology, even though I still have one silicone plug in a punctum. . .but aren't there non-silicone plugs that might be less likely to trigger reaction/scar formation? Silicone is pretty inert, but when one is sensitive to it, reactions can be powerful. . .as in the era when silicone breast implants were outlawed.. .

In any case, could your doc possibly try a non-silicone plug before you move to cauterization?

I'l surf around now to see what materials are used for plugs these days. . .

[Rojzen]

DEZ covers the field on punctal plug materials - pls link over

Oops. . .For info on the different materials now available for plugs, please link over to the Zone's very own coverage on the topic. . .Search under Archives on the Zone's "Dry Eye Talk" page, and a plethora of excellent material will be spotted. . .

[indrep]

I have not heard of anyone only having silicone allergy in one eye, but I have not heard everything everyone ever said. It could be the plug partially expressing caused irritation and that caused the scarring. You might let it quiet down and try on of the Extended Duration plugs for 90 days and the try another well fitted (proper size) plug. There are other materials for plugs but they are intracanalicular.