Dr. Ralitsa Kermedchieva Presented an Innovative Therapy for Relieving Dry Eye Syndrome

In front of a full audience at the stage of Central Halls in Sofia, Dr. Ralitsa Kermedchieva presented on Saturday (June 20) the innovative pulsed light therapy (IPL), which is used at the PENTAGRAM Eye Clinic to alleviate dry eye syndrome.

This is a 15-minute procedure with intense pulsed light (IPL), which improves the quality of the tear film, resulting in a reduction in the sensations of dryness, burning, irritation, itching, light sensitivity, redness, blurred vision, and eye pain.

The treatment is completely painless and carries no risks.

Key risk factors for developing dry eye syndrome are:

Certain systemic diseases:

• • Diabetes (occurs in 54% of patients)
  • Rheumatoid arthritis (in 70% of patients)
  • Thyroid diseases

It is also often present in people with:

• • Glaucoma (in 59% of cases)
  • Allergies (in 25% of patients)
  • People who wear contact lenses (in 50% of them)
  • Women in menopause
  • People who spend long hours in front of a computer.

“Proper assessment of the ocular surface and the treatment of dry eye syndrome is extremely important even during preoperative preparations, as the condition is a key reason for reduced visual function and discomfort and can negatively affect the outcomes of cataract, refractive, and corneal surgeries” explained Kermedchieva.

She emphasized that before proceeding with the IPL procedure, a diagnosis of the tear film and anterior eye surface is performed using specialized equipment.

The goal is to determine whether for this particular patient, the use of intense pulsed light will achieve the desired effect.

If the patient is suitable, the therapy is repeated 3-4 times over a 3-week period, after which permanent relief of dry eye syndrome is achieved.

Dr. Kermedchieva’s presentation was part of the campaign CODE: Prevention – “Now is the time to have time.”, which draws attention to significant health issues and their early treatment. The initiative is carried out in partnership with the office of the World Health Organization in Bulgaria. The organizers are the “Sports and Youth Activities” Directorate of Sofia Municipality and the “Healthcare” Directorate of Sofia Municipality, in partnership with Restart Foundation, Synevo Bulgaria Medical Laboratories, Kaufland Bulgaria and with the support of the podcast Preobrashchane, Strength Culture/Silova Kultura, Obekti, Novite Roditeli, Modernity – Time for Me.