Treatment for watery eyes
Everyone's
eyes water in cold wind but if your tears spill over down the
cheek this is called epiphora. In most cases the cause is a
blocked tear duct - these normally drain away excess tears but
become silted up with time in some people.
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The
traditional treatment is to unblock the ducts by passing saline
liquid through them under gentle pressure. This works in 80% of
cases but 50% of tear ducts close up again. Now there's a simple
solution to this problem.
A tiny hollow
insert is placed in the tear duct, holding it open to allow tears to drain away normally
without closure.
A perforation through the middle of
the plug allows tear flow through the punctum. These
plugs are highly polished and coated with
polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) which keeps debris from
collecting on their surface and the channel from
clogging.
PVP Perforated Plugs are used for
draining tears in the treatment of epiphora caused by
punctal stenosis while the rest of the lacrimal duct is
normal. The Mini PVP Perforated Plug serves a dual
function: it offers partial occlusion when less than
total occlusion is desired; or it keeps a blocked
punctum open assuring tear flow through the canaliculus.
They are supplied sterile, individually packaged and
pre-loaded on a disposable plug inserter.
This
in-office procedure is painless and takes around 30
minutes.
Costs are
£160 / eye
Consultation required.
Your GP will
certainly not be aware of this procedure and it is not
offered under the NHS since epiphora, although very
annoying, is not regarded as medically sight threatening.
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0131
556 7836