[Clinical investigation of extrusion of a new punctal plug(Flex Plug)].

PURPOSE: Punctal occlusion using punctal plugs is very effective for the treatment of tear-deficient dry eye. We compared the newly marketed Flex Plug (FP, Eagle Vision Co., Ltd.) and the Eagle Plug (EP, Eagle Vision Co., Ltd.).

SUBJECTS AND

METHODS

The subjects were patients with severe tear-deficient dry eye who were treated in our dry eye clinic. FP plugs in 8 patients (9 eyes) and EP plugs in 29 patients (35 eyes) were compared during over 4 months of observation with regard to the time until extrusion and the possibility for re-insertion of the plugs.

RESULTS

During the 4 months after insertion of the plugs, the EP plugs were extruded from 35 of 51 puncta (68.6%) and the FP plugs were extruded from 4 of 13 puncta (30.8%). In the 35 EP extrusions and in the 4 FP extrusions, re-insertion was possible. The time period until extrusion was longer for FP than for EP. In all cases, for both EP and FP, pyogenic granuloma was not observed.

DISCUSSION: The extrusion rate for EP plugs was much greater than for FP plugs (68.6% to 30.8%). Pyogenic granuloma was not observed in any instance for both types of punctal plugs.