{"title":"Tear Film and Drainage after Selective Punctal Occlusion Using Polydioxanone Plugs in Dry Eye Patients","authors":"Sung Eun Im, Hee Chul Lee, Sang Soo Kim","doi":"10.3341/jkos.2023.64.9.759","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: To assess changes in the tear film and delayed tear drainage after upper or lower, or combined upper and lower, punctal occlusion using dissolvable polydioxanone plugs in patients with dry eye.Methods: In total, 40 dry eye patients (80 eyes) were enrolled: four groups of 10 (20 eyes) with no, lower, upper, and lower and upper punctal occlusions. Dissolvable polydioxanone plugs were placed. The tear break-up time (tBUT) and the tear meniscus height (TMH) were measured, and the Schirmer I test and dye disappearance test (DDT) were performed at baseline and 2 weeks after the procedure.Results: Compared to the control group, all three test groups exhibited significant changes in the tBUT, the DDT test, and the TMH after polydioxanone plug placement (all <i>p</i> < 0.05). The group with both upper and lower punctal occlusions exhibited more delayed tear drainage than the other test groups. A lower punctal occlusion significantly delayed tear drainage to a greater extent than did an upper punctal occlusion (<i>p</i> = 0.010).Conclusions: In dry eye patients, a polydioxanone plug improved the tBUT and TMH, and the DDT score. The tear drainage delay increased in the order: both, lower, and upper punctal occlusion(s).","PeriodicalId":17341,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Korean Ophthalmological Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.1000,"publicationDate":"2023-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of The Korean Ophthalmological Society","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2023.64.9.759","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"OPHTHALMOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose: To assess changes in the tear film and delayed tear drainage after upper or lower, or combined upper and lower, punctal occlusion using dissolvable polydioxanone plugs in patients with dry eye.Methods: In total, 40 dry eye patients (80 eyes) were enrolled: four groups of 10 (20 eyes) with no, lower, upper, and lower and upper punctal occlusions. Dissolvable polydioxanone plugs were placed. The tear break-up time (tBUT) and the tear meniscus height (TMH) were measured, and the Schirmer I test and dye disappearance test (DDT) were performed at baseline and 2 weeks after the procedure.Results: Compared to the control group, all three test groups exhibited significant changes in the tBUT, the DDT test, and the TMH after polydioxanone plug placement (all p < 0.05). The group with both upper and lower punctal occlusions exhibited more delayed tear drainage than the other test groups. A lower punctal occlusion significantly delayed tear drainage to a greater extent than did an upper punctal occlusion (p = 0.010).Conclusions: In dry eye patients, a polydioxanone plug improved the tBUT and TMH, and the DDT score. The tear drainage delay increased in the order: both, lower, and upper punctal occlusion(s).