A Series of Civilian Ocular Injuries from the Civil War in Syria

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate the demographic and clinical features of eye injury cases in the Syrian Civil War.

METHODS: A total of 224 eyes of 212 Syrian patients who were referred urgently to Hatay Mustafa Kemal University Faculty of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology between January 2011 and December 2018 were evaluated retrospectively. Types of trauma and clinical findings were analyzed.

RESULTS: Patients were predominantly male (n=194, 91.5%). The mean age was 29.50±10.76 (range 1–74) years. A total of 30 (14.15%) patients were <18 years old. Most eye traumas (n=177, 79.0%) were open globe injuries, and the remaining 21.0% (n=47) were closed globe injuries. Intraocular foreign body was detected in 106 (47.32%) eyes. Primary repair was performed in 74.10% (n=166) of the cases, and evisceration was performed in 4.46% (n=10).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Our study indicated that war conditions can cause serious eye injuries in civilians. These conditions often cause vision and eye loss in adults and children. In addition, all units carrying and treating patient should be strongly coordinated to minimize vision, time, and economic losses.