Ophthalmologist Elias Jaradeh has been tirelessly attending to an influx of patients suffering severe eye injuries after a series of explosions involving pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon. Over the past week, Jaradeh has performed countless eye surgeries in various hospitals, often resting only two hours before moving on to the next operation. While he has managed to save some patients’ sight, many others will face permanent blindness.
Describing the situation as “extremely tragic,” Jaradeh recounted seeing an overwhelming number of victims—predominantly young men, but also children and women—arriving at hospitals in distress. The blasts, which occurred last week and are believed to be linked to an Israeli attack on Hezbollah fighters, resulted in at least 39 fatalities and approximately 3,000 injuries, many of which could lead to life-altering disabilities.
As patients looked at their devices just before the explosions, they sustained significant injuries to their hands, faces, and eyes. Veteran Lebanese eye doctors, accustomed to dealing with trauma from wars and civil unrest, have expressed that the scale of these injuries is unprecedented. Jaradeh, also a reformist lawmaker representing southern Lebanon, noted that most of his patients are young individuals with severe damage, some containing shrapnel embedded in their eyes.
Reflecting on the intensity of the current crisis, Jaradeh compared it to the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion four years ago, which caused over 200 deaths and thousands of injuries. He remarked that the psychological toll of this latest disaster is still unfolding, as medical professionals struggle to process the sheer number of wounded.
Despite medical training that emphasizes emotional detachment, Jaradeh admitted that it is challenging to separate his professional responsibilities from the emotional weight of treating such high volumes of trauma. “This is linked to a war on Lebanon and a war on humanity,” he concluded, highlighting the broader implications of the violence.
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