Eye injuries and ocular protection in the Lebanon War, 1982

There was a high incidence of ocular trauma (6.8% of all casualties) in the Lebanon War, 1982, which is similar to the rates in previous Arab-Israeli wars. Combat in the Lebanon War consisted of both armored warfare and infantry operations, with much of the fighting taking place in built-up areas. Consequently, there were two main types of ocular injuries: perforating eye injuries caused by the small high-velocity missiles that characterize armored combat, and a wide range of injuries to the eye caused by ricochets during combat in built-up areas. The latter injuries varied in severity from complete destruction of the eye to minor corneal erosions. Not a single eye was injured in soldiers who had ballistic protective goggles properly placed over the eyes at the time of injury. Most of the ocular trauma could have been prevented had the goggles been in universal use. A considerable degree of eye protection is also afforded by ordinary ophthalmic eyeglasses.