What is punctal cautery? (Posted: 3 dec 2004)

Basically, means burning shut the puncta (tear ducts) in order to prevent draining of tears. .

How do I know if I might benefit from cautery? (posted: 3 dec 2004)

In general, eyes with a major aqueous deficiency are the most likely to benefit from cautery. You probably should not attempt cautery if you have not already benefitted from punctal plugs for a significant period of time, because that will show if punctal occlusion in general can help you. For laser eye surgery patients, eye doctors tend to be somewhat reluctant to perform cautery as there is the expectation that symptoms might improve, in which case if cautery were done there might later be a problem with tear overflow. Speak with your eye doctor about the specifics of your own situation, however.