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38. Internationaler Kongress der Deutschen Ophthalmochirurgie (DOC)


18.-20.06.2026
Nuremberg

Meeting Abstract

Eye injuries in war: Clinical, surgical, and humanitarian perspectives

Sibylle Scholtz - Saarland University, Institute of Experimental Ophthalmologyl, Homburg/Saar
Rudolf Horsch - Deutsch-Atlantische Gesellschaft, Berlin
Frank Krogmann - Julius-Hirschberg-Gesellschaft, Austria, Thüngersheim
Valeryi Serdyuk - Municipal Enterprise, Dnipropetrovsk Regional Clinical Ophthalmological Hospital, Dnipro, Ukraine
Nataliia Klopotska - Municipal Enterprise, Dnipropetrovsk Regional Clinical Ophthalmological Hospital, Dnipro, Ukraine
Vanik Kostanyan - Podillya Vision Center, Vinnytsia, Ukraine
Natalia Didyk - Podillya Vision Center, Vinnytsia, Ukraine
Dmytro Zhmuryk - Medical Center „OCHI Clinic“, Kyiv, Ukraine
Ihor Vasyltsov - Medical Center „OCHI Clinic“, Kyiv, Ukraine
Anke Messerschmidt-Roth - Philipps-University Marburg, Eye Clinic, Marburg
Tetiana Komarova - Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine
Olga Denisyuk - P. Shupyk National University of Health of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
Marina Tselishcheva - P. Shupyk National University of Health of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
Lee MacMorris - Saarland University, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Homburg/Saar
Oksana Vitovska - Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine

Text

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.

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.

Conclusion: 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.