Ocular Trauma in Armed Conflicts

Book excerpt: The book comprehensively covers the complete spectrum of ocular trauma in war and peace, while most of the books on ocular trauma cover only civil trauma. It explains the care to be taken by the injured himself from the time of injury to the most specialized tertiary care management step-by-step. It covers the various modes of trauma, the evaluation, and the management from emergency care and evacuation to secondary and tertiary care. The initial chapters cover the step by step care of wounds and the application of dressings or tourniquets available in the battlefield to be taken by the individual himself and the initial medical care by forward medical officer and surgeon before evacuating to the ophthalmologist The book also covers the management of polytrauma involving the head and neck or other parts of the body based on real-life experience since most of the battlefield ocular trauma presents with it. It incorporates chapters on ocular trauma due to chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) hazards and the important aspect of imaging in ocular trauma. It covers the classification systems of ocular trauma. The book presents the step-by-step approach to primary repair of open globe injuries and lid lacerations by the first contact ophthalmologist. It covers the subspeciality wise tertiary care management of ocular trauma, encompassing an approach to the management of corneal scars, lenticular injuries, uveitis, traumatic glaucoma, intraocular foreign body and other posterior segment manifestations of injury like retinal detachment, vitreous and choroidal hemorrhage, etc., orbit and optic nerve trauma and other neuroophthalmological manifestations of trauma. It also includes a chapter on chemical injuries and techniques of stem cell transplantation for ocular surface reconstruction. Additionally, it covers the management of unsalvageable eyes and cosmetic rehabilitation. The book is a complete and helpful resource on ocular trauma and assists ophthalmologists, trauma care workers, and medical officers with security forces in the easy management of ocular trauma.