What are punctal plugs?

Some patients with dry eyes don’t get enough relief from their teardrops or tear gels and we have to consider punctal plugs.
On each eye, there is a couple of tiny little openings called puncta which drains your natural tears down at the back of your throat. If we can delay that tear-drainage, you will have more tears on the surface of your eye.
Most people with dry eye have an evaporative dry eye and if you could have more tears there for longer, you would be a lot more comfortable. By putting a little punctal plug into just one of the openings that can help a lot and make it much more comfortable and the need for quite so many drops, less.

More about Jane Olver

Ms Jane Olver is the founder of Clinica London and a Consultant Ophthalmologist and Oculoplastic Surgeon. Her special expertise is in oculoplastic and cosmetic eye surgery including eyelids and lacrimal surgery. She is specialised in endoscopic lacrimal surgery for watering eyes in adults and children. She has over 20 years’ experience in treating people with eye problems just like you, and has published extensively in scientific journals about Ophthalmology and Lacrimal Surgery and is the author of the books “Ophthalmology at a Glance” and “Colour Atlas of Lacrimal Surgery”. At Clinica London, she is responsible for the Aesthetic Medicine and Surgery part, as well as patients with eye, eyelid and tear duct problems, and acute eye problems.