FLORetina 2025: Severity of ocular injuries resulting from water jets used to quell riots

A team of investigators from the Department of Ophthalmology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel, reported the effects on the eyes following various ocular injuries caused by water jets. The presentation was given during the 2025 FLORetina meeting and International Congress on OCT Angiography, En Face OCT and Advances in OCT (ICOOR), held from 4 to 7 December in Florence, Italy.

The investigators, led by first author Ram Cohen, MD, focused their study particularly on injuries that were inflicted by water cannon vehicles that are used during riots. He reported that waterjet injuries may inflict severe damage to the globe and orbital structures.

In their retrospective case series, the researchers evaluated patients who had sustained injuries as the result of being hit directly with a high-pressure water jet. The water jets had been used by the police forces as a riot control measure during a demonstration, Dr Cohen explained.

A total of 9 patients were admitted to the emergency room and sustained blunt ocular trauma, of whom 2 had injuries in both of their eyes. All underwent a clinical evaluation conducted by an ophthalmologist.

What ocular injuries did the clinical evaluations reveal?

Dr Cohen and colleagues found that the most common ocular injury was hyphema, which is blood that has accumulated in the anterior chamber of the eye and can directly affect vision. Hyphema developed in 8 (73%) of the 11 eyes affected. The next most common injuries were examined traumatic mydriasis and vitreous hemorrhage in 54% and 36% of patients, respectively.

Two of the 9 injured patients had to undergo ocular surgery to treat retinal detachment, lens dislocation, and vitreous hemorrhage.

Considering the severity of the injuries, the investigators concluded, “Waterjet injuries may inflict severe damage to the globe and orbital structures. Care should be taken to prevent injuries such as these that are inflicted by water cannon vehicles used during riots.”

Dr Cohen was joined in this study by colleagues Etti Katzburg, Muhammad Abumanhal, Avi Ohayon, Michaella Goldstein, Adiel Barak, Igal Leibovitch, and Efrat Fleissig.