Linda
Martha, the plugs stop the drainage of eye moisture while Lacriserts provide a source of moisture. I would recommend getting your top ones done too. I've had my lower ducts plugged and my upper ones cauterized (they were too small for plugs) and have never regretted it. I was able to quit living with a bottle of drops in my hand. The lacriserts are little hard pellets of a lubricant that soften and dissolve under the eyelid to provide a constant source of moisture. Unfortunatly, because they are hard to begin with, those of us with dry eyes often have trouble using them because we don't have enough moisture in our eyes to soften them. Hence the reason I put a dab of lacrilube on them before inserting them...to give a little cushion and provide the needed moisture to soften them.