25 August 2025

New Study Quantifies Long-Term Impact of Eye Injuries in Deployed Service Members

Geneva researchers lead retrospective analysis using disability-adjusted life years to assess combat-related vision loss

A New Lens on Combat-Related Vision Injuries

Eye injuries are among the most debilitating combat wounds—often resulting in permanent vision loss with far-reaching consequences for both individual service members and force readiness. A retrospective study led by Geneva Principal Investigator Amanda Staudt, PhD, MPH and Associate Investigator Jennifer Treviño, MBA, with co-authors from partner organizations, used disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) to quantify the true burden of ocular trauma in military populations.

Published in Ophthalmology, the study titled “Disability-Adjusted Life Years Resulting from Ocular Injury among Deployed Service Members, 2001–2020,” analyzed nearly two decades of injury data from the Defense and Veterans Eye Injury and Vision Registry.

Quantifying the Invisible Burden

Among more than 17,000 U.S. service members who sustained ocular injuries in combat zones, the study found:

 

• A total of 11,214 DALYs, with an average of 0.64 DALYs per patient
• Permanent injuries accounted for 99.5% of total DALYs, despite affecting fewer than 10% of patients
• The most severe burdens were linked to vision impairment and blindness
• Most common injuries included foreign body, abrasion, and multiple injury types

 

These findings underscore the disproportionate and long-lasting impact of eye trauma on service member health and highlight the need for targeted prevention, protection, and treatment strategies.

Turning Data into Readiness Solutions

The Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program supported this work through the Vision Research Program under Award No. W81XWH2010941. Geneva served as the prime awardee and managed the project, providing research infrastructure, data analysis expertise, and operational coordination throughout the study. By translating injury data into actionable DALY metrics, the research lays the groundwork for future interventions, policy development, and resource allocation in combat casualty care. The authors acknowledge the Vision Center of Excellence for providing data for this study.

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