But if it’s not, over time it causes scarring to the eyelid that pulls the eyelashes inward, so with every blink they scrape against the eye. This advanced form of trachoma is called trichiasis, and the pain can be so intense that many people resort to pulling out their eyelashes to reduce the agony of blinking. Over time, if it’s not treated, trichiasis can lead to blindness.
The disease thrives where there are water shortages, poor sanitation and infestations of flies. It’s caused by repeated infection with bacteria known as ‘chlamydia trachomatis’, and it spreads through contact with infected flies and via hands, clothes or bedding that have been in contact with an infected person.
The agony and disability of blinding trachoma can lead to a cycle of poverty, limiting many people’s access to health services, education and employment.
Source: World Health Organization
The most common signs that a person is suffering from trachoma include:
Because the infection spreads via hands, clothes and bedding, it disproportionately affects women and children: globally women are almost two (1.8) times more likely than men to be blinded by the disease. If trachoma is not treated, it can lead to trichiasis.
Trichiasis, sometimes called advanced trachoma, is when the eyes get inflamed after repeated trachoma infections. Scar tissue builds up on the inside of the eyelid, making the eyelid tight and pulling the eyelashes inwards. When the eyelashes rub the cornea, it causes immense pain and can lead to blindness.
Charles Dickens‘ novel Nicholas Nickleby was inspired by a 19th-century boarding school devastated by trachoma.
The history of trachomaAntibiotic tablets, donated by pharmaceutical company Pfizer, are used to treat the infection. Trachoma treatment is usually repeated annually for up to five years.
Advanced trachoma, known as trichiasis, can cause the eyelashes to turn inwards. An operation stops the eyelashes rubbing against the eyeball, and can stop people from going blind.
Communities are encouraged to change behaviour that can put them at risk of contracting trachoma, and are taught about the importance of face washing, hygiene and sanitation.
In June 2018, Ghana became the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to eliminate the disease. Yet there are still 44 countries that count trachoma as a public health problem, , where people are at risk of being permanently blinded by trichiasis.
We help to control the impact and spread of trachoma by implementing the World Health Organization’s SAFE strategy: the acronym describes the four methods used to control the disease.
We’re on a mission to stamp out the disease by 2025, but we need your help to banish it for good.
About our campaignAccelerate aims to eliminate trachoma in at least eight countries and speed up progress in several others by 2023.
This three-year programme is the largest multiple neglected tropical disease (NTD) programme Sightsavers has supported to date. It aims to protect millions of people from NTDs in 13 countries.
This project, in Ethiopia, Kenya and Zambia, introduces five superhero cartoon characters to encourage school children to wash their hands and face.
This programme funded surgery, treatment distribution and improved hygiene and sanitation in 10 Commonwealth countries where trachoma is endemic.
As the largest infectious disease survey ever undertaken, the GTMP gathered valuable data about the world’s trachoma-endemic areas using smartphones.
The SAFE programme, which ended in 2019, aimed to control the spread of blinding trachoma via surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness and environmental improvements.