This is the leading preventable infectious cause of blindness in the world

Photo Credits: The Lancet, Irin

Name
Trachoma

Transmission

• Trachoma is a bacterial infection of the eye
• It spreads easily from person to person through contact with eyes, eyelids, nose, or throat secretions of infected people
• It also spreads through flies that come in contact with the eyes or nose of an infected person
• Handling infected items such as handkerchiefs or towels can also spread the bacteria that cause the disease
• It is very common in children

Geography
Worldwide (Africa is the most affected continent)

Incubation Period
5 – 12 days

Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms are very similar to the symptoms of conjunctivitis:

• Eye itching
• Eye irritation
• Swollen eyelids
• Eye discharge (mucus or pus)
• Eye pain
• Light sensitivity

Diagnosis

• Clinical diagnosis using wearable magnifying glasses is the most common way to diagnose
• Diagnosis is also made through laboratory testing of bacteria from the eye

Treatment
Antibiotics are used to treat the infection

Prognosis

• Untreated, it can lead to irreversible blindness
• Repeated infections make the eyelids turn inward. The eyelashes scrape and permanently scar the cornea which leads to blindness
• The infection is less frequent and lasts for a shorter amount of time in older people

Prevention: What Can You Do?

• Good personal hygiene
• Access to clean water and good sanitation systems

Trachoma In the News

• Morocco eliminates trachoma – the leading infectious cause of blindness
• Why is trachoma blinding Aboriginal children when mainstream Australia eliminated it 100 years ago?

Sources:
http://www.who.int/trachoma/disease/en/
http://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/ntd/diseases/trachoma_burden.html