Wartime Ophthalmic Trauma: Analysis Of The Structure And Volume Of Surgical Care Provided To The Military Personnel Of The Armed Forces Of Ukraine On The Basis Of The Dnepropetrovsk Regional Clinical Ophthalmological Hospital

The beginning of a full-scale Russian invasion on February 24, 2022 and a significant intensification of the military conflict makes it relevant to analyze the structure of modern combat injuries of the organ of vision and the volume of specialized ophthalmic surgical care provided to the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

To study the structure of a combat injury of the organ of vision, the types and volume of specialized ophthalmic surgical care provided to victims in the conditions of a high-intensity modern military conflict.

The paper analyzes ocular injuries and the organization of specialized ophthalmological care by specialists of the Dnepropetrovsk Regional Clinical Ophthalmological Hospital (DRCOH) to servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine delivered to Dnipro in the period from 02/24/2022 to 12/31/2022.

Ophthalmologists of the DRCOH examined 1381 patients during the indicated period of time, of which 1106 received surgical care (patients with severe and moderate injuries).

Structure and volume of surgical care:

• Primary surgical treatment (PST) of eyelid wounds, including removal of foreign bodies - 171 (15.5%)
• Removal of foreign bodies of the orbit - 65 (5.8%)
• PST of the orbit with not removed foreign bodies - 43 (3.9%)
• PST of wounds of the cornea and sclera - 246 (22.2%)
• Removal of foreign bodies of the cornea, conjunctiva and sclera - 139 (12.6%)
• PST with removal of IOFB - 103 (9.3%)
• Removal of IOFB during planned operations (after PST at the stages of evacuation) - 37 (3.3%)
• Evisceration - 147 (13.3%)
• Vitrectomy (in patients without IOFB) - 25 (2.3%)
• Phacoemulsification of cataract with IOL implantation - 44 (4.0%)
• Combined cataract phacoemulsification with vitrectomy – 35 patients (3.2%)
• Others - 51 (4.6%)

As the analysis shows, in 79.9% of cases, the victims needed highly specialized surgical care using modern equipment in the conditions of level 3 medical institutions (vitreoretinal surgery, removal of foreign bodies of the orbit, fibrous membrane and intraocular foreign bodies, cataract phacoemulsification).

Taking into account the fact that soldiers are people of working age, we consider it extremely important to restore the anatomical structure of the organ of vision, complete medical and social rehabilitation as much as possible, which necessitates the rapid delivery of the wounded to specialized medical institutions with the necessary equipment and highly qualified medical personnel.