Eyes, Modern Warfare & First Responders
Today's conflict zones create new challenges for ocular safety
Studies show 13% of modern combat injuries involve eye trauma, up from 0.5% in WWI (source: JMVH). This is something I’ve been following and was a key topic at last month’s American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) foundation conference in Los Angeles. The speaker, Vasyl Shevchyk, MD, PhD - daylighted the particular challenges first responders in war zones face today, as modern warefare evolves toward the likes of daylight drone attacks.
Ukraine-based Dr. Shevchyk daylighted the issue with the following compelling slide. As a fellow volunteer eye surgeon - I focus on addressing curable blindness in Southeast Asia with nonprofit partners of my foundation, BBH Eye Foundation - this presentation motivated me to seek out ways to extend our support to first responders in today’s war in Ukraine. As our work continues to evolve and contemporary issues like this become apparent, our purpose and mission feels more relevant than ever.
For the curious, here is more on modern warfare’s impacts on ocular outcomes of first responders: Blast injuries now account for over 65% of combat casualties, with eye trauma making up 13%-a huge jump from less than 1% in World War I. Drones, unlike WWII’s nighttime raids, strike at any hour, exposing medics and rescuers to more frequent and severe injuries from shrapnel and shockwaves. As a result, today’s first responders face a higher risk and more complex trauma than ever before.
