Trachoma

Abstract

Trachoma is the outcome of ocular infection by Chlamydia trachomatis. The clinical spectrum of the disease ranges from minor conjunctivitis, congestion and follicular inflammation to advanced long-term conjunctival scarring leading to trichiasis and corneal opacity. These long-term corneal opacities often lie in the visual axis and interference with the pathway leading to visual impairments and corneal blindness. Once the leading cause of blindness worldwide, trachoma has since largely disappeared from the developed countries. It remains the leading infectious cause of blindness. It is recognized among the priority neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), disproportionately affecting poor communities and contributing to the vicious cycle of poverty and ill health among them. Trachoma is estimated to cause a loss of US$5.3 billion annually (in 2003) when measuring trachoma blindness associated with productivity losses. The burden is believed to be much higher if trachoma-associated visual impairments were also considered [1]. There are still nearly 200 million people globally at risk of trachoma, and focused efforts are needed to achieve elimination of this disease.