Rubber Bullet Eye Injury During COVID-19 Pandemic and the Situation in Palestine

Abstract Purpose: To present the clinical features of eye trauma following rubber bullet injury during the COVID -19 pandemic to increase the awareness of the public around the world about what is happening in Palestine and how severely any man can be injured and be left with a disability for the rest of his life. Method: Retrospective observational case report. Results: We report a case of 37 years old male patient who presented to our emergency department immediately after he received a rubber bullet in his right eye while he was praying in Jerusalem by an armed Israeli soldier. Detailed examination of the patient, extensive history, physical examination, investigation, and brain imaging revealed a right eye ruptured globe with lost eye contents and a skull fracture. Conclusion: Rubber Bullets can cause a vision-threatening injury that can lead to blindness; this report presents novel data on the course of subjects with rubber bullet injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic in Palestine. International guidelines on the use of crowd-control weapons are deemed necessary to prevent unnecessary injuries, disabilities, or deaths, international guidelines must apply to the state of Israel which repeatedly uses excessive force against the Palestinian people. Restricted use of force can lead to stability in the region, we recommend that every organization working for research and human rights call upon these actions where people can have their right to live peacefully and see freely.