Organization of eye care in modern armed conflicts: state and prospects

Abstract

The main feature of modern armed conflicts is the use of new weapons and, as a result, changes in the nature and structure of eye injuries. This feature, on the one hand, and the rapid progress of medical science, on the other hand, require a rapid response to the changing operational situation using the resources of modern ophthalmology in order to provide care to wounded and injured ophthalmic patients efficiently and rationally. There are some differences in approaches to pre-hospital self- and mutual aid to the wounded with ophtalmic injuries on the battlefield in different schools of military medical training and tactical medicine. Some use a binocular bandage, while others use a rigid eye shield. The complexity and variety of visual injuries require good practical skills and experience in order to perform high-quality surgical treatment of perforated corneal and scleral wounds in open eye trauma. This necessitates a thorough training of specialists with practical skills. The issue of medical supply of units providing specialized care at the stages of medical evacuation, which includes a military ophthalmologist, is particularly significant. The problem of reasonable and rational update of the ophthalmological equipment at the stages of medical evacuation requires active discussion. There is still the question of the use of effective protective equipment for the eye during combat operations, which, without limiting visual function, could prevent combat eye injuries, most often caused by small fragments and secondary wounding projectiles.