Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To report three cases of canaliculitis caused by SmartPLUGs. The SmartPLUG, an acrylic punctal plug, was introduced in 2002 and was designed to decrease the potential for irritation, migration, and extrusion that is often seen with other types of punctal plugs. There have been no other reported complications associated with these plugs. Methods: Retrospective case series. Results: All three patients were being treated for corneal and surface disease by a cornea specialist. In all cases, the SmartPLUG were chosen secondary to either intolerance of or repeated loss of silicone plugs. The canaliculitis presented 2 months to 1 year after insertion of the SmartPLUG. Cultures were performed on one patient and were negative. All cases resolved after flushing out the plug via nasolacrimal irrigation and treating the infection with antibiotic eye drops. Conclusions: This is the first report of canaliculitis associated with SmartPLUGs.
Keywords: cornea: clinical science • cornea: tears/tear film/dry eye