Eye injuries on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan: Public health implications

The U.S. Army faces major challenges in balancing the need to protect the Soldier from harm while not impeding his ability to fight and defend the Nation. Unfortunately, the incidence of combat eye injuries has increased over time, despite the development of protective measures. Recently, the Army began issuing various types of commercially-available combat eye protection to Soldiers deploying in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF). Even though eye protection is available, many Soldiers still do not wear protective eyewear because of the perceived low risk of eye injury and low comfort of the eyewear. Developing combat eye protection (CEP) that meets the unique requirements of the military, issuing the eyewear to the Soldiers, and supporting and enforcing its use will provide the best eye protection for American Soldiers during military training exercises and future conflicts.