Elsevier

Ophthalmology

Volume 115, Issue 2, February 2008, Pages 377-382
Ophthalmology

Original article
Severe Eye Injuries in the War in Iraq, 2003–2005

Presented as a poster at: American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting, November 2006, Las Vegas, Nevada.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2007.04.032Get rights and content

Purpose

To document the incidence and treatment of patients with severe ocular and ocular adnexal injuries during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Design

Retrospective hospital-based observational analysis of injuries.

Participants

All coalition forces, enemy prisoners of war, and civilians with severe ocular and ocular adnexal injuries.

Methods

The authors retrospectively examined severe ocular and ocular adnexal injuries that were treated by United States Army ophthalmologists during the war in Iraq from March 2003 through December 2005.

Main Outcome Measures

Incidence, causes, and treatment of severe ocular and ocular adnexal injuries.

Results

During the time data were gathered, 797 severe eye injuries were treated. The most common cause of the eye injuries was explosions with fragmentation injury. Among those injured, there were 438 open globe injuries, of which 49 were bilateral. A total of 116 eyes were removed (enucleation, evisceration, or exenteration), of which 6 patients required bilateral enucleation. Injuries to other body systems were common.

Conclusions

Severe eye injuries represent a significant form of trauma encountered in Operation Iraqi Freedom. These injuries were most commonly caused by explosion trauma.

Section snippets

Patients and Methods

The authors retrospectively gathered information on all severe eye injuries treated by United States Army ophthalmologists that occurred in the war in Iraq from March 2003 through December 2005. The patients usually underwent an initial evaluation by a medic or corpsman at or near the location of injury. Then, patients usually were evacuated to an ophthalmologist in Iraq or Kuwait, where they had definitive evaluation and treatment. The patients included coalition forces, enemy prisoners of

Results

From March 2003 to December 2005, 16 356 United States military personnel were wounded in action.1 During this time, 797 patients were evaluated and treated for a severe ocular or ocular adnexal injury (Table 1). The average age was 27 years (median, 25 years; range, 4–61 years). Males made up 97% of ocular casualties. Of those casualties treated, 55% were United States military personnel. Only 74 individuals were documented to have been wearing ocular protection at the time of injury. The

Discussion

Of the 16 356 injured and 1706 Americans killed from the onset of the Iraq War in March 2003 through December 2005, many suffered severe eye trauma.2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 These data delineate nearly 800 severe eye injuries sustained by United States soldiers, allied forces, enemy combatants, and civilian personnel during this same period.

It should be kept in mind that this report covers

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  • Cited by (0)

    Manuscript no. 2007-3.

    The authors have no financial interest in any product, drug, instrument, or equipment discussed in the article.

    The opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the authors and do not represent the views or official policy of the United States Army or the Department of Defense.

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