Punctal occlusion

Punctal occlusion is not a molecule or receptor, but rather a medical procedure used to treat dry eye syndrome. The procedure involves blocking the puncta—small drainage openings in the eyelids—using tiny biocompatible plugs (punctal plugs) made of materials such as silicone or collagen, or by permanently closing the puncta with thermal cautery. This prevents tears from draining away too quickly, thereby increasing tear film retention on the ocular surface and alleviating symptoms of dry eye. Punctal occlusion is considered when other treatments for dry eye are insufficient. It is not a molecular target and does not have associated drugs that interact with it as would be expected for receptors, enzymes, or other therapeutic targets[1][3][4][5][6][8].\n\nNote: "Punctal occlusion" refers to a clinical intervention/procedure and not to any specific protein, gene product, receptor, enzyme, transporter, or molecular entity typically classified as a therapeutic target in pharmacology or drug development contexts.

Other names

Punctal plugPunctum plugLacrimal plugOccluder[8]