Trachoma
Trachoma (Greek: ??????? ‘roughness’) also called granular conjunctivitis Egyptian ophthalmia and blinding trachoma is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. The infection causes a roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids.
We used to call trachoma sandy blight (the eyes feel gritty, as if full of sand). It is the world’s leading cause of infectious blindness.
Trachoma is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, which creates swelling under the inner eyelid leading to scarring. The scars cause the eyelashes to turn inward and scratch the eye, which is intensely painful and made worse by blinking.
Eventually, if left untreated, all the scratching from the lashes will result in the cornea – the transparent layer at the front of the eye – going cloudy and the person having irreversible blindness.
Trachoma easily spreads from one child to another through infected eye and nose secretions.- Links
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trachoma
- Relevant Occupations
- Ophthalmologist
