Eye Injuries In War: Clinical, Surgical, And Humanitarian Perspectives
Published 2026 - 44th Congress of the ESCRS
Reference: POORB002 | Type: Free paper | DOI: 10.82333/whfd-m818
Authors: Dr Sibylle Katharina Scholtz* 1 , Rudolf Horsch 2 , Mr Frank Krogmann 3 , Dr Valeryi Serdyuk 4 , Dr Nataliia Klopotska 5 , Dr Vanik Kostanyan 6 , Dr Natalia Didyk 6 , Dr Dmytro Zhmuryk 7 , Dr Ihor Vasyltsov 7 , Dr Anke Messerschmidt-Roth 8 , A/Prof. Tetiana Komarova 9 , Dr Olga Denisyuk 10 , Ms Lee MacMorris 1 , A/Prof. Oksana Vitovska 11
1Institute of Experimental Ophthalmology,Saarland University,Homburg/Saar,Germany, 2Deutsch-Atlantische Gesellschaft, Berlin, Germany,Deutsch-Atlantische Gesellschaft, Berlin, Germany,Berlin,Germany, 3General Managment,JULIUS-HIRSCHBERG-GESELLSCHAFT, Austria,Thüngersheim,Germany, 4Municipal Enterprise “Dnipropetrovsk Regional Clinical Ophthalmological Hospital”, Dnipro,Municipal Enterprise “Dnipropetrovsk Regional Clinical Ophthalmological Hospital”, Dnipro,Dnipro,Ukraine, 5Municipal Enterprise “Dnipropetrovsk Regional Clinical Ophthalmological Hospital",Municipal Enterprise “Dnipropetrovsk Regional Clinical Ophthalmological Hospital",Dnipro,Ukraine, 6Podillya Vision Center,Podillya Vision Center,Vinnytsia city,Ukraine, 7Medical Center “OCHI Clinic”,Medical Center “OCHI Clinic”,Kyiv,Ukraine, 8Eye Clinic,Philipps-University Marburg,Marburg,Germany, 9Department of Ophthalmology,Bogomolets National Medical University,Kyiv,Ukraine, 10P. Shupyk National University of Healk National University of Health of Ukraine,P. Shupyk National University of Health of Ukraine,Kyiv,Ukraine, 11vo.visiondep@gmail.com,Bogomolets National Medical University,Kyiv,Ukraine
Purpose
Armed conflicts continue to generate a high incidence of complex ocular trauma, posing unique challenges to ophthalmologists worldwide. This book, Eye Injuries in War (Springer, 2026), consolidates expertise from international specialists to provide a comprehensive overview of the pathophysiology, diagnostics, surgical strategies, and rehabilitation of eye injuries caused by modern warfare.
Setting
Cooperation of several international clinics and institutes locared in Ukraine and Germany.
Methods
The volume integrates historical perspectives, frontline surgical experience, and contemporary clinical research. Contributors include ophthalmic surgeons, trauma specialists, and historians, each addressing a specific aspect of war-related eye injuries. Chapters span from historical accounts of battlefield ophthalmology to state-of-the-art management of blast injuries, ballistic trauma, mine-explosive damage, and combined craniofacial wounds. Additional chapters cover vision assessment without standard equipment, multidisciplinary rehabilitation, and psychosocial dimensions of visual loss.
Results
The book highlights advances in emergency surgical strategies under resource-limited conditions, long-term reconstructive approaches, and preventive strategies, including ballistic eye protection. It also presents case series from recent conflicts, offering pragmatic solutions to surgeons faced with mass casualty scenarios. A distinctive feature is the integration of historical lessons with modern clinical practice, providing context for how ophthalmology has adapted to the changing nature of warfare.
Conclusions
Eye Injuries in War serves as both a reference and a teaching resource for ophthalmologists, military surgeons, and allied professionals. By bridging history, science, and field experience, it addresses the urgent need for structured knowledge on ocular war trauma and its management. The book underlines the responsibility of ophthalmology not only to restore vision but also to mitigate the long-term consequences of war-related blindness.