ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 17 -- United States Patent no. 12,310,890, issued on May 27, was assigned to Ocular Therapeutix Inc. (Bedford, Mass.).

"Punctal plug and bioadhesives" was invented by Noah Silverberg (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Mark Silverberg (Santa Barbara, Calif.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "The present disclosure provides devices and methods for the treatment of ophthalmological conditions such as dry eye. Among the devices provided are punctal plugs and devices for inserting punctal plugs. The punctal plugs may be shaped for insertion in the punctum and/or the canaliculus. They may also be coated with a bioadhesive. Methods for inserting the punctal plugs are provided, as well as ...