Punctal Plugs & LacriFill for Dry Eye in Dublin
Your tears play an essential role in keeping the surface of your eyes healthy, comfortable and your vision clear. After bathing the eye, tears normally drain away through two tiny openings in the eyelids called the puncta, before passing into the tear drainage system.
For some people with dry eye disease, the problem isn't that their tears drain normally—it's that they don't produce enough tears in the first place. In these cases, reducing tear drainage allows both your natural tears and lubricating eye drops to remain on the surface of the eye for longer, helping to improve comfort, reduce irritation and protect the ocular surface.
Tear drainage treatments, including punctal plugs and LacriFill, are designed to slow the drainage of tears, allowing them to stay where they're needed most.
Who Benefits From Tear Drainage Treatments?
Tear drainage treatments are most effective for patients with aqueous-deficient dry eye, a form of dry eye disease in which the eyes do not produce enough tears.
They may be recommended for patients who continue to experience symptoms despite using lubricating eye drops or for those who require frequent artificial tear use throughout the day.
However, these treatments are not suitable for everyone with dry eye. If your symptoms are primarily caused by meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), blepharitis or significant eyelid inflammation, treating the underlying cause of the inflammation is often a more appropriate first step.
This is why every patient at The Dry Eye Suite undergoes a comprehensive anterior eye assessment before treatment is recommended. Understanding the underlying cause of your dry eye allows us to recommend the treatment that is most likely to benefit you.
Temporary Punctal Plugs
Temporary punctal plugs are small, soft, biocompatible devices that are gently inserted into the puncta—the tiny openings of the tear drainage system located in the eyelids. By slowing the drainage of tears, they help keep the surface of the eye lubricated for longer.
The procedure is quick, comfortable and performed in the clinic, usually taking only a few minutes. No surgery is required, and patients can return to their normal daily activities immediately afterwards.
At The Dry Eye Suite, we use temporary dissolvable punctal plugs, which naturally dissolve over approximately 3–6 months. These plugs are often an excellent first option, allowing us to assess how much symptom improvement you experience before considering a longer-lasting tear retention treatment.LacriFill
LacriFill is an innovative tear retention treatment that uses a soft, biocompatible hydrogel to fill the tear drainage canaliculus rather than simply blocking the opening of the punctum.
The hydrogel conforms to the natural shape of the tear drainage system, helping to reduce tear outflow while remaining comfortable and discreet. By allowing tears to remain on the surface of the eye for longer, LacriFill can help improve lubrication, reduce symptoms of dryness and enhance overall tear film stability.
Unlike temporary collagen punctal plugs, LacriFill is designed to provide a longer-lasting tear retention effect before gradually being resorbed by the body over time.“Excellent service from start to finish. Nicola was welcoming, professional, and very knowledgeable. The eye exam was thorough, and everything was explained clearly. Highly recommend this clinic for anyone seeking quality eye care.”
– Ann Parsons