2024-09-23 18:46:17
- The medical director of the Vision Eye Clinic died suddenly at the age of 48.
- Every year he examines at least 4 thousand people, 90% of them have undergone surgery and have regained their sight
- He established a school, leaving behind a team of well-prepared specialists
Man’s natural desire for light and knowledge is his daily necessity. That’s why the evangelical blind man from Jericho asked Jesus: “What do you want me to do for you?” – answered with trembling expectation: “Lord, let me see” (Luke – 18:41).
The medical director of the Vision Eye Clinic, Dr. Iliyan Shandurkov, who restored sight and hope for life, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 48. For the first and last time on Monday, he did not warn his colleagues that he would not report to work. .Leave dozens of patients waiting to heal their eyes!
– What is the significance of this injection, doctor? I asked after the procedure was over.
– Ah, you remembered to ask – answered Dr. Shandurkov, after he had explained in detail the nature of my illness and the delayed treatment.
– Well, because I trusted you, doctor!
That’s why I laid down on the operating table without fear or worry! And because our preliminary conversation led me to believe that this was the doctor who would cure my sight.
This is what Ivanka Demireva, director of the library of the Thrace University in Plovdiv, tells us.
He is described as Light by his grateful patients, who for years lived with the terrible sentence – “sight is irreversibly lost”, but they can see again.
Dr. Shandurkov, you
you will live forever through the Light you gave to a 14-year-old boywhen all the doctors said it was impossible!
Every day I can see the beauty of the world around me is because of you! Thank you for the Light! – writes Velizar Omaynikov in a letter to the clinic
These are two of the thousands of examples of Dr. Shandurkov’s patients.
Every year, the number of people with eye diseases that it examines exceeds 4 thousand – 90% of them are operated on and have regained their sight, according to the statistics of the clinic’s medical records.
There are people who are born in Eternity. But there are also chosen ones who end up in Infinity. In the limited, though eternal world of Earth we live in time. The ancients claim that the gifted belong to Timelessness! We want to believe in the prediction because Dr. Shandurkov was one of them.
Dr. Shandurkov was wise, knowledgeable, capable, a proven specialist, but that did not prevent him from being modest.
He did not flaunt his qualities and skills
On the contrary, it was an infectious example for all of us of dedication to the profession, of continuous search for perfection and innovation, of noble cooperation with the patient!
His approach to young specialists and specialists was exceptional. He took the necessary time for each of them, did not scandalize their mistakes, but in his own way pushed them to reach the right solutions to the tasks he assigned them, says Elena Kumbieva, manager of “Vision”.
He was an example for us!
He taught us not only how to be good doctors, but also good people
We will forever carry in our hearts what we learned, we will try to be like him and we will never forget the best teacher, his specialists say.
Dr. Shandurkov is a long-time member of the 24 Hours “Doctors We Trust” league.
Just three months ago, Vision’s medical director won the 2024 Academy Award for Innovation in the Treatment of Dry Macular Degeneration. Until recently, this disease was considered incurable, but Dr. Shandurkov gave hope to patients that, for the first time in Bulgaria, the progression of the dry form of macular degeneration can be slowed down and vision stabilized.
“The great progress is that there is a ray of hope for those people who, until recently, thought they were going blind irreversibly. In addition, we are fighting to improve vision, respectively improve the quality of life,” ophthalmologist Dr. Iliyan Shandurkov commented some time ago to ” 24 hours”. With the help of the specialized device, his team improves the vision of patients with this disease to the point where they can read. And after 9 procedures of 5-6 minutes each.
Only 48 years old, Dr. Shandurkov had reached the pinnacle of professionalism in the diagnosis of eye diseases and retinal surgery.
He has given back the hope of thousands that they will see again, a respected colleague who approaches people’s problems with care, his colleagues from the Bulgarian Medical Union write about him.
During his short career, Dr. Shandurkov has made a number of innovations in the treatment of eye diseases.
He performed the first seamless vitrectomy in Bulgaria. In 2011, he published the first monograph on dry eye in Bulgarian. Dr. Shandurkov published the first in our country and the second in the world Atlas of Optical Coherence Tomography (Angio OST) in 2016, just a year after the invention of the technology for this study on a global scale.
In addition to the atlas, the ophthalmologist and eye surgeon publishes the book “Dry eye – diagnostic methods and modern treatment trends”. He also has more than 40 publications in Bulgarian and international journals.
Dr. Shandurkov is the winner of the award for the best young ophthalmologist named after Prof. Dr. Stoimen Dubov in 2004.
He graduated from the Medical University in Sofia in 2001. 5 years later, he acquired a specialty in eye diseases. He specialized in Bonn, Marburg, Hamburg, Homburg Saar – Germany, in Chennai – India, in Venice – Italy. Since 2013, he has been an annual examiner of the European Board of Ophthalmology for the acquisition of the European Diploma in Ophthalmology in Paris.
From 2017 to 2019, Dr. Shandurkov is the chairman of the Bulgarian Society of Ophthalmology.
Dr. Shandurkov leaves behind a team of well-trained specialists ready to continue his vocation and practice.
The mark left by Dr. Shtandurkov obliges us to preserve and develop everything we created together in the pursuit of “Vision” measuring growth with the best in the treatment of eye diseases, says the clinic.
The man we will always remember with a smile…
In our souls will remain the ease with which even difficult vitreoretinal surgery seemed like a fairy tale. His immense love for his profession and his infectious humanity will remain in our hearts. The loss for colleagues and patients is huge, they say goodbye to Dr. Shandurkov from the Bulgarian Society of Ophthalmology. (24 hours)