Effects Of Collagen Punctal Plugs On Tear Osmolarity.

Background: Increased tear osmolarity has been identified as one of the markers of dry eye syndrome. Collagen punctal plugs are often used to aid in treatment of dry eye disease. This study looks at fluctuations in tear osmolarity in normal individuals who undergo punctal occlusion via collagen punctal plugs. If collagen punctal plugs lower tear osmolarity in normal individuals, this effect may be greater in people who have dry eye disease. Therefore, collagen punctal plugs could serve as an effective means of lowering tear osmolarity and treatment for dry eye disease.
Methods: The following study used 30 participants’ ages 20-46 years, 60 eyes total. Tear osmolarity was taken of each eye before punctal occlusion. In each participant the lower left puncta was fit with a collagen punctal plug. The right eye puncta remained open as a control group. After two days, tear osmolarity readings were taken. This concluded the study.
Results: Through chi-squared analysis (p<0.05), the results proved to be inconclusive neither proving nor disproving a relationship between punctal occlusion and changes in tear osmolarity in normal individuals who do not have hyperosmotic tears.
Conclusions: More studies specifically involving dry eye patients need to be conducted to determine if there is potential to lower tear osmolarity through the use of collagen punctal plugs. This study may indicate that people without dry eye disease may possess an intact homeostatic mechanism that maintains tear osmolarity.