Punctal occlusion for the treatment of dry eye syndrome

We classified dry eye into 2 groups according to reflex tearing, and performed punctal occlusion in the following manner: In the normal reflex tearing group (14 eyes), only the upper puncture was occluded; in the poor reflex tearing group (32 eyes), both upper and lower puncta were occluded. To evaluate the efficacy of the treatment, vital staining, tear examination and subjective symptom surveys were conducted. Objective and subjective improvements were recorded in all eyes; 1 eye (2.2%) developed epiphora after surgery. Complications, such as punctal re-opening, were seen in 28.8% of all cases; no other complications were seen. Since we conducted the refractive tearing test before surgery, we are able to determine whether a particular punctal occlusion surgery is appropriate for the patient. This makes permanent punctal occlusion an even safer and more effective treatment method.