Battlefield Ocular Injuries
Treating and protecting eyes for those on the beat and in the sand box.
The war in Iraq has clearly demonstrated that about 10 percent of all battle-related injuries to our troops are penetrating eye injuries from fragments of IEDs (improvised explosive devices), mortars and rockets. The majority of these battlefield ocular injuries are corneal foreign bodies, abrasions and eye-lid lacerations. Other causes of eye injuries include chemical conjunctivitis from soldiers handling solvents and fuels. The daily threats include dirt, wind and allergens that are also prolific in the desert environment.
The LE tactical community is not exempt. Eye injuries can result from debris in an explosive breech, glass from breaking and raking a window and flying debris from the deployment of a flash bang. Tactical teams operating in Southern California know all too well the effect of the sun, dry wind and blowing sand.
July 14th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
[…] TACTICAL MEDICINE Battlefield eye protection… By Dr. Lawrence E. Heiskell, MD […]