About Trachoma
Trachoma is the leading cause of blindness due to infection worldwide. 1.9 million people are blind or visually impaired because of trachoma1.
Overview
Trachoma is a bacterial infection spread by common houseflies. It steals a person’s ability to work, care for their families, and thrive. Repeated infections cause the eyelids to turn inward (trichiasis) and the eyelashes to painfully scratch the cornea with every blink, leading to permanent blindness. The disease spreads easily in communities that lack access to basic sanitation and clean water for hygiene. Women are especially vulnerable to the disease – they are four times more likely than men to develop trichiasis and bear the greatest share of the economic burden caused by blindness.
The SAFE strategy can treat and prevent trachoma by combining four important interventions.
- Surgery to reverse trichiasis and preserve sight
- Antibiotics to rid the body of active infection
- Facial cleanliness to prevent person-to-person transmission
- Environmental improvements to improve hygiene and sanitation
Key Facts
103 million
people require treatment2
18 countries
have eliminated trachoma as a public health problem3
1.5 million
need surgery to prevent visual impairment4
Nieba’s story
A simple surgery helped Nieba keep her vision.
EYES CLEAR AND FREE OF PAIN: Ethiopia’s Journey to Trachoma Elimination
Feysel Abdullahi Samatar is a sorghum farmer from the Somali region of Ethiopia. He suffered from trachoma for most of his life. “I never tried the treatment as I couldn’t afford it,” said Feysel. “My eyes itch and hurt a lot. Being in the sun makes it difficult for me to work on the farm.” He began plucking his eyelashes out to relieve himself of the pain.
In Ethiopia, trichiasis – scarring of the eyelids caused by repeated infection with trachoma – is the second leading cause of blindness. However, the country has made tremendous progress in its effort to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem. Over 40% of the population suffered from active infections in 2004, but thanks to mass drug administration to treat and prevent the disease, rates have fallen to below 5% in many regions.
Treatment is just one part of the strategy to eliminate trachoma. A simple, twenty-minute surgery on the eyelids can ensure that a trichiasis patient keeps their vision. Ahmed Yusuf Egge is a health worker who travels to remote villages to perform trichiasis surgery. “Eye problems affect mostly poor communities. I want to help people who live in the rural areas who are not able to receive this treatment due to shortage of finances and other problems. We have eye doctors in cities, but no one is willing to go to the rural areas to give eye services,” he said.
To address the backlog in surgeries, the END Fund’s Ethiopian partners train surgeons like Ahmed and connect them to trichiasis patients in rural areas. As a result, by 2023 over 81,000 surgeries have been provided free of charge in recent years.
In 2023, Feysel’s struggle came to an end when he received surgery. “After the surgery, I can work properly in the sun and wind,” he said. “I would highly recommend the surgery to anyone who has the same issues as me.
THE END FUND’S ROLE in ENDING PREVENTABLE BLINDNESS
The END Fund supported trachoma elimination programs in ten countries in 2023. Treatment is available to prevent this disease and has been generously donated by pharmaceutical companies. The cost lies in delivering the medicine to those who need it, averaging 50 cents per person per year. Surgeries are used to correct eyelid abnormalities and prevent blindness for affected individuals. The procedure takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete and costs between $75 and $100 per person.
The END fund aims to help five countries reach their goals in eliminating trachoma by 2030. By joining the END Fund, you can be part of disease elimination history.
Other NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASEs
