Dueling didn’t have to be to the death. With swords, it wasn’t uncommon to just duel until first blood was drawn. There were even dueling swords with no edge, and a stopper about half an inch up the tip, so it couldn’t easily overpenetrate.
Yes, you could still have your eye poked out.
Dueling societies in Prussia (and later the German Empire) existed at many of the major universities. The goal was to get your “fashionable scar” not to kill people.