Dr. Charita Rankova: Laser trabeculoplasty is the safest treatment for glaucoma

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Dr. Charita Rankova: Laser trabeculoplasty is the safest treatment for glaucoma
Dr. Charita Rankova: Laser trabeculoplasty is the safest treatment for glaucoma
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Vision loss in glaucoma is irreversible. It is for this reason that the early diagnosis of the disease, the timely initiation of treatment and the active follow-up of patients are of great importance.

Alexandrovska Hospital has long-standing traditions in the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma. It also houses the oldest and established glaucoma department. The professionalism of the specialists at the largest university hospital in the country is of great importance for the success in the fight against glaucoma, says Dr. Charita Rankova, head of the 1st Eye Department of the Clinic for Eye Diseases at Aleksandrovsk Hospital.

During the World Glaucoma Week - from March 8 to 15 - free examinations will be carried out in the I Eye Department of the Clinic for Ophthalmology at Aleksandrovsk Hospital

Those interested must register in advance at phone number 02/9230583 every day from 2 to 6 p.m.

Dr. Rankova, what diseases do you treat in your department?

- Our unit has 10 beds. We have three nice permanent young doctors, motivated to work, and they cope very well with the challenges of the subject of ophthalmology.

We mainly treat glaucoma, anterior eye segment, cataract surgery. What we propose regarding glaucoma, a rather serious socially significant disease, is that on a path from the He alth Fund, for two days, research is carried out with the aim of clarifying, diagnosing and treating the disease.

What equipment do you have?

- We have had the absolutely complete package of devices for several months. We have three new devices - two are for diagnostics, the third is for treatment. One is completely non-contact, its biggest advantage is that with it the intraocular pressure measurement is done very quickly and

most often we use it for screening

Three measurements are taken, no anesthesia, only takes 1 minute. This is a very valuable acquisition for us because we can screen a very large group of people in a short time.

How can we check in with you?

- You have the option with ticket 3 or direction 7 on route 138. The optical coherence tomography is also very useful for diagnosis, which gives us a very precise image of the optic nerve, because that's what we're interested in, but it's useful and for other parts of the eye. The advantage for the patient is that all examinations are included in this pathway paid by the Fund. Otherwise, it costs over BGN 120 outside our clinic.

You also have other very valuable equipment…

- Yes, this is a "Humphrey perimeter", the "gold standard" for computerized telemetry of open-angle forms of glaucoma. In my opinion, this is one of the most accurate computer perimeters.

Regarding the treatment of the disease, what do you have?

- Our new device is a laser that performs selective laser trabeculoplasty, one of the most modern methods of laser treatment. The laser treats the trabeculum - this is the area in the eye through which the intraocular fluid drains. The procedure lasts about 5-10 minutes per eye. Analgesic drops are placed before it.

The intervention is bloodless,

there is no need to follow any special regime after it. The effect of the laser is felt about 2-4 weeks after the intervention, and how much the intraocular pressure values will decrease is strictly individual for each patient.

Side effects are extremely rare, slight redness and irritation may be observed after the procedure, which disappear within 24 hours. Laser trabeculoplasty is one of the patient-safest therapeutic procedures for the treatment of glaucoma. The goal of treatment is to stop or at least slow down the progression of the disease and preserve the remaining functional vision.

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