4th Ophthalmology Conference “Theory Meets Practice” – Innovations and Strong International Participation

The 4th Scientific Meeting of Ophthalmologists in Bulgaria, held under the motto ‘Theory Meets Practice,’ brought together on February 20-21, 2026, at the Grand Hotel ‘Millennium,’ some of the most prominent eye specialists from Bulgaria and Europe.

Organizer of the event was the Bulgarian Association of Ophthalmic Surgeons (BAOS), whose establishment was officially announced at the forum. The organization’s goal, being non-profit, is to implement, promote, and train young colleagues in the innovations and deep intricacies of ophthalmic surgery.

Over 180 ophthalmologists from across the country participated in the conference, with a significant foreign presence.

The Keynote lecture was delivered by Dr. Carl Claes, Belgium, on the topic ‘Surgical Treatment of Refractory Macular Holes.’ He also presented several interesting traumatic cases involving the extraction of intraocular foreign bodies. Dr. Claes is one of the most renowned vitreoretinal surgeons in Europe and globally, with more than 40 years of practice, heading the Vitreoretinal Surgery (posterior segment of the eye) department at ‘St. Augustine’ Hospital in Antwerp, Belgium. He is well-known to many Bulgarian patients operated on by him at the clinic in Antwerp or in Sofia.

An interesting presentation on the modern treatment of Macular Degeneration was delivered by Prof. Tryfonos Rotsos from the University of Thrace in Athens, Greece, and president of the Vitreoretinal Association of Greece. He is globally renowned in the conservative treatment of retinal diseases, particularly Macular Degeneration. His presentation covered the application of Eylea 8mg by Bayer.

The attendees also attentively followed the presentation by Roche, which showcased an implant that eliminates the need for monthly injections into the eye since it maintains a consistent intraocular concentration of the medication. This implant is expected to be available to Bulgarian patients within two years.At the invitation of Santen, a special guest at the conference was Prof. Nora Majtanova from Bratislava, who introduced the audience to interesting cases from her practice involving the use of the implant Preserflo for glaucoma. For the first time in Bulgaria, this implant was introduced at the Specialized Eye Clinic ‘PENTAGRAM.’

The renowned Greek ophthalmologist Dr. Dimitris Sakelaris presented the latest laser for cataract surgery., which is already being used at the Specialized Eye Clinic ‘PENTAGRAM’.

Prof. Mirko Jankov (Zurich) presented the new multifocal lens by B&L.

The world-renowned ophthalmologist Prof. Sundeep – Vaswani (United Kingdom) gave an in-depth presentation on the present and future of refractive surgery.

The participation of Bulgarian ophthalmologists stood out with depth and innovation. Particularly impressive were the presentations by Dr. Mishev and Dr. Troshev on 3D surgery of the anterior and posterior eye segments, as well as the presentations by Assoc. Prof. Tanev, Assoc. Prof. Andreev, Assoc. Prof. Mitova, Prof. Grupcheva (EYEmax-mono – a new intraocular lens for macular degeneration), Assoc. Prof. Kyuchukov, and others.

The presentations by specialists from the Eye Clinic ‘PENTAGRAM’ also made a strong impression with their depth and innovation. They showcased new surgical approaches, already implemented in the hospital over the last 2 years. Among them were Capsulaser (used in the surgical treatment of cataracts). The 4-year experience of the Eye Clinic ‘PENTAGRAM’ in applying the glaucoma implant Preserflo, as well as the clinical experience of the hospital’s ophthalmologists in using new intraocular lenses – multifocal or EDOF, was also presented. The Head of the Ophthalmology Department at ‘PENTAGRAM’, Dr. Ralitsa Kermedchieva, demonstrated the first results from the application of Valeda – a new device for treating the dry form of Macular Degeneration.
The results from the use of the new laser by Zeiss Mel-90 in refractive surgery.

The conference took place in a collegial and ethical atmosphere.

More photos from the conference can be found on our Facebook page