Daniella,
I had the silicone plugs put in about 3 years ago. The first ones hurt my eyes terribly, then the doctor put in the ones that are called "Smart Plugs". They gave me instant relief. They were supposed to last about 3 months. Then one of them disappeared, who knows where and the other one caused an infection around it. But they had given me so much relief that the doctor suggested cauterizing the tear ducts. We did this about 2 weeks after he removed the infected plug. I have to say that I do much better with the tear ducts plugged. There are so many different types of plugs. Be sure your doctor puts the correct size in your eyes. There is actually a little gauge he should have to measure the size with. Without it, you may not get a good fit. The idiot doctor who did the first ones put two in one eye and one that was too big in the second eye. These caused me so much pain that I had difficulty driving home. Had to go to a doctor here in order to get them removed.

Good luck. Yes, the Restasis helps a lot of people. I've been using it for about two years and I haven't had any infections in that time frame.

About your ankle, have you seen a podiatrist to have molds made of your feet and get orthotics? They have helped my ankles tremendously. My ankles are collapsing and this causes the tendons to be constantly irritated and sore. The orthotics stabilize my ankles and feet.

Billye