Patterns and prevalence of ophthalmic self-medication in Bulgaria: results from a cross-sectional survey - Takeaways - MDSpire

Patterns and prevalence of ophthalmic self-medication in Bulgaria: results from a cross-sectional survey

  • By

  • Mladena Radeva

  • Elitsa Hristova

  • Andreas Kontny

  • Zornitsa Zlatarova

  • Igor Resnick

  • May 29, 2026

  • 0 min

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  • 1

    The prevalence of ophthalmic self-medication in Bulgaria was found to be 63.7%, with a significant portion of the population engaging in this practice.

  • 2

    Common ocular complaints leading to self-medication included infectious conditions (37.3%) and dry-eye symptoms (23.1%).

  • 3

    Primary motivations for self-medication were lack of time for specialist care (41.1%) and the belief that consultation was unnecessary (33.7%).

  • 4

    Although adverse reactions were rare (0.6%), 39.6% of respondents reported poor or no knowledge of ophthalmic medications.

  • 5

    The study highlights the need for targeted patient education and improved access to ophthalmic care to promote safer self-medication practices.

Original Source(s)

Patterns and prevalence of ophthalmic self-medication in Bulgaria: results from a cross-sectional survey

  • by Mladena Radeva, Elitsa Hristova, Andreas Kontny, Zornitsa Zlatarova, Igor Resnick

  • May 29, 2026

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