The ARISE Fund

The Story of Trachoma Surgery Recovery

Feysel Abdullahi Samatar, 30, has been dealing with vision issues since he was 15 years-old. The slightest breeze or direct sunlight would cause pain and tearing. While living with an active trachoma infection for years, scar tissue formed on the inside of his eyelid, pulling his eyelashes inward, scratching the cornea with every blink. Eventually, he began plucking his eyelashes to relieve himself of the pain.

Trachoma is a bacterial infection endemic to Feysel’s region of Eastern Ethiopia. And as a farmer, these were discomforts that Feysel learned to deal with. As a father to seven and a husband, Feysel’s two hectares of farmland are how he provides for his family. With his family’s livelihood hinging on his ability to harvest the land, failure to work is not an option.

Yet, the toll of working outdoors with an active trachoma infection had begun to compromise his vision.

Trachoma is the second most common cause of blindness behind cataracts, and still remains a serious public health issue. In 2023, 89 percent of Ethiopians were living in areas with high risk of the disease.

In November 2023, Feysel received a simple, but life-changing 20 minute surgery, to correct the orientation of his eyelashes.

“Before the surgery, when I woke up in the morning, my eyes would stick together and I couldn’t open them, and during the day it was impossible for me to do my work effectively in the sun and wind,” says Feysel as he reflects on the improved health of his eyes after the surgery.

“However, after the surgery, I can work properly in the sun and wind. The first ten nights after surgery were challenging, but once the stitches were removed, I was able to do my work as I wished.”

Feysel’s surgery also represents another vital development as Ethiopia works towards eliminating trachoma as a public health concern: access to and trust in health workers.

Through the ARISE Fund, END Fund Ethiopian partners like Amref Africa have been able to train trachomatous trichiasis (TT) surgeons to empty the backlog of TT cases so that patients can return pain-free to their daily activities.

The Somali region is currently surveying to determine the need to continue mass drug administrations. Following the World Health Organization recommendations, trachoma prevalence in children must drop below the prescribed 5 percent before preventive medicine can be stopped.