The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science is a clinical unit engaged in both research and teaching activities. The department currently includes 2 professors, 3 associate professors, 3 chief assistants, and 1 Assistant Professor, as well as a coordinator of academic activities. All members of the team have established clinical interest and expertise in various fields of ophthalmology, including: corneal pathology, cataract, eyelid plastic and reconstructive surgery, glaucoma, retinal diseases, strabismus, pediatric ophthalmology, and refractive solutions.
The department is based at the University Specialized Eye Hospital for Active Treatment – Varna, which is equipped with state-of-the-art technology for the demonstration of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. In February 2024, the hospital officially received the status of a university hospital – a recognition of its longstanding excellence in clinical care, teaching, and research.
The Department of Ophthalmology was founded in 1963. The first Head of Department was Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nikola Ivanov Konstantinov, who became a professor in 1973. Subsequent heads of the department include: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dora Borisova Pencheva, PhD (1981–1992), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tosho Voychev Mitov, PhD (1992–2001), and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Evgenia Dimitrova Kontrova, PhD (2001–2003).
In 2003, following changes to the Higher Education Act, a consolidated “Department of Neurosurgery, ENT, and Ophthalmology" was formed, comprising three independent academic and research sectors. In October 2011, the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science was reestablished as a standalone unit within the Medical University – Varna, with Prof. Dr. Hristina Grupcheva, PhD, DMSc, appointed as Head of Department. From 2023 to 2025, the department was led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yana Manolova, PhD, and since February 2025, it has been headed by Prof. Dr. Zornitsa Zlatarova-Angelova, PhD, DMSc.
The academic staff of the department are members and hold leadership positions in numerous national and international scientific and professional organizations. This enables not only active publishing and scientific output, but also participation in editorial boards of both national and international journals.
