Positive Impact

Punctal Occlusion is a frontline Dry Eye management strategy

Punctal Plugs

Punctal occlusion is a procedure proven to retain tears on the ocular surface. It is a simple and reversible way of reducing tear drainage that has a good safety profile1.

Who could benefit from plugging?

Dry Eye Disease is now understood to be a continuum with many patients having an aqueous (ADDE) and evaporative (EDE) component that are non-mutually exclusive in contributing their Dry Eye symptoms.

By maintaining a greater volume of natural tears on the ocular surface, punctal occlusion can help reduce patient symptoms regardless of whether ADDE or EDE is the predominant influencing factor.

Punctal Plugs_Positive Impact

Advantages of punctal occlusion

A convenient way for patients to improve their dry eye symptoms

Clinically proven to reduce CL Induced Dry Eye

Reduces dependence on artificial tears

Builds loyalty through giving extra care

Parasol®

Parasol is a clever non-dilating punctum plug design. Its novel hollow nose ensures ease of fitting and high retention rates. Parasol is equally simple to remove making occlusion reversible.

Simple sizing
Parasol comes in just four sizes making selection of the correct fitting plug easier than traditional plug designs.
Two sizes fit virtually all patients: Small (72%) and Medium (23%). X-small and large are available for unusually sized puncta.

Microflow™

Designed to provide a simple, reversible means of partial occlusion, Microflow™ Punctal Occluders limit the drainage of tears into the lacrimal duct. Ideal when total occlusion is too much.

Proven to reduce Contact Lens Induced Dry Eye (CLIDE)

Inserting a contact lens uniquely challenges the tear film and ocular surface. Discomfort and specifically dryness sensations is still the leading cause of contact lens drop-out with:

  • Over 75% of patients discontinuing contact lens wear at one time or another due to discomfort2
  • Up to 50% of soft CL wearers complaining of dryness3

Punctal occlusion as an effective management strategy for CLIDE.4-5

Punctal occlusion reduces all CLIDE symptoms by around 50%6

A recent UK study showed that, following punctal plug fitting, there was a statistically significant reduction in the frequency, severity and overall sum of subjective symptoms associated with dryness among soft contact lens wearers.

Lenses removed less often following plugging
The contact lens wearers removed their lenses on average less than once a week due to dryness compared with several times a week prior to punctal occlusion.

Reduction in dry eye drop usage
Patients in the study used drops up to 5 times (average 2.1) a day in an attempt to relieve symptoms. After punctal occlusion, no patient needed drops more than twice (average 0.6) a day.

Punctal Plug being inserted in the punctum by Positive Impact

Interested in using Punctal Plugs in your practice?

Contact us to find out more about Punctal Plugs and to order.

T: 01424 851 375

References

1. Atkins N. A beginners guide to punctum plugging. Optician 4/3/16: p20-23.
2. Pritchard N, Fonn D, Brazeau D. Discontinuation of contact lens wear: a survey. ICLC. 1999;26(6);157-162.
3. Doughty MJ, Fonn D, Richter D, et al. A patient questionnaire approach to estimating the prevalence of dry eye symptoms in patients presenting to optometric practices across Canada. Optom Vis Sci. 1997;74:624-631.
4. Giovagnoli D, Graham SJ. Inferior punctal occlusion with removable silicone punctal plugs in the treatment of dry-eye related contact lens discomfort. J Am Optom Assoc. 1992 Jul;63(7):481-5.
5. Brujic M, Miller J. Punctal Occlusion and Contact Lenses. Review of Cornea & Contact Lenses 2011 July.
6. Price A, Long B. Treatment of contact lens symptoms with punctal occlusion treatment. Poster BCLA Annual Clinical Conference 2017.

Read the news on
Positive Impact

Webinar: The Use of Heat in Managing MGD

Join Nick Atkins in this CPD webinar as he explores effective heat delivery options for managing MGD. Gain insights into both in-practice and at-home solutions to enhance your practice’s MGD management strategies.

Learn More
Two choices with easy empirical fitting

Positive Impact (PI) has launched two new contact lenses in the UK, Alexa high resolution AR, offering a…

Learn More
Our Annual Christmas Food Donation

In the true spirit of the season, we are thrilled to share a heartwarming tradition that has become…

Learn More