Trachoma

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Trachoma is an infectious eye disease, and the leading cause of the world’s preventable blindness.

Trachoma is caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis and it is spread by direct contact with eye, nose, and throat secretions from affected individuals, or contact with fomites (inanimate objects), such as towels and/or washcloths, that have had similar contact with these secretions.

An eye exam may reveal scarring on the inside of the upper eye lid, redness of the white part of the eyes, and new blood vessel growth into the cornea.

Antibiotics can prevent long-term complications if used early in the infection. Antibiotics include erythromycin and doxycycline. In certain cases, eyelid surgery may be needed to prevent long-term scarring, which can lead to blindness if not corrected.

Globally this disease results in an estimated US $2.9 billion in lost productivity every year by affecting 84 million people from active infection and nearly 8 million people, who are visually impaired as a result of this disease.

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

The disease is one of the earliest recorded eye afflictions, having been identified as early as 27 B.C. Today, most victims of trachoma live in underdeveloped and poverty-stricken countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Rare in the United States, the disease can be treated with antibiotics and prevented with adequate hygiene and education. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “No national or international surveillance [for trachoma] exists. Blindness due to trachoma has been eliminated from the United States. The last cases were found among American Indian populations and in Appalachia.”^[1]

In 1913, President Woodrow Wilson signed an act designating funds for the eradication of the disease.^[2] By the late 1930s, a number of ophthalmologists reported success in treating trachoma with sulfonamide antibiotics.^[3] In 1948, Vincent Tabone (who was later to become the President of Malta) was entrusted with the supervision of a campaign in Malta to treat trachoma using sulfonamide tablets and drops.^[4]

Although by the 1950s, trachoma had virtually disappeared from the industrialized world, thanks to improved sanitation and overall living conditions, it continues to plague the developing world. This potentially blinding disease remains endemic in the poorest regions of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East and in some parts of Latin America and Australia. Currently, 8 million people are visually impaired as a result of trachoma, and 84 million suffer from active infection. The people that went through Ellis Island had to be checked for trachoma.

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Trachoma is caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis and it is spread by direct contact with eye, nose, and throat secretions from affected individuals, or contact with fomites (inanimate objects), such as towels and/or washcloths, that have had similar contact with these secretions. Untreated, repeated trachoma infections result in a painful form of permanent blindness when the eyelids turn inward, causing the eyelashes to scratch the cornea. Children are the most susceptible to infection, but the effects are often not felt until adulthood.

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Trachoma is caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis and it is spread by direct contact with eye, nose, and throat secretions from affected individuals, or contact with fomites (inanimate objects), such as towels and/or washcloths, that have had similar contact with these secretions.

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Untreated, repeated trachoma infections result in a painful form of permanent blindness when the eyelids turn inward, causing the eyelashes to scratch the cornea. Children are the most susceptible to infection, but the effects are often not felt until adulthood.

Early treatment before the development of scarring and lid deformities has an excellent prognosis. If not treated properly with oral antibiotics, the symptoms may escalate and cause blindness, which is the result of ulceration and consequent scarring of the cornea.

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