Trachoma

Trachoma is a chronic eye disease caused by repeated infection with Chlamydia trachomatis. Recurrent inflammation can scar the eyelid, turn eyelashes inward, and damage the cornea, causing blindness.

Follicular conjunctivitis: Inflammation of the conjunctiva marked by small lymphoid follicles. This is a characteristic early sign of active trachoma.
SAFE strategy: The World Health Organization's integrated approach to eliminating trachoma through surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness, and environmental improvement. Its four measures address both trichiasis and the infection's community transmission.
Conjunctivitis: Inflammation of the conjunctiva, the membrane covering the front of the eye and lining the eyelids. Trachoma is a particular infectious form of chronic conjunctivitis.
Halberstaedter–Prowazek bodies: Intracellular inclusions associated with chlamydial infection, described in conjunctival cells in 1907. Their discovery helped establish that trachoma involved an intracellular infectious agent.
Conjunctival scarring: Fibrous tissue formation in the conjunctiva after chronic injury or inflammation. Repeated trachoma inflammation scars the inner eyelid and alters its shape.
Azithromycin: A macrolide antibiotic used to treat a range of bacterial infections. Mass distribution can reduce active trachoma infection in endemic communities.
Cornea: The transparent front surface of the eye that refracts light and protects deeper structures. Corneal clarity is lost when inward-turning lashes repeatedly abrade it.
Ludwig Halberstaedter: A German physician who, with Stanislaus von Prowazek, described inclusions in trachoma-infected conjunctival cells. His early microscopy contributed to identifying the infectious nature of trachoma.
Trichiasis: A condition in which eyelashes grow inward or rub against the eye. Eyelid scarring can turn lashes inward, repeatedly scraping the cornea.
Trichiasis surgery: Surgery that corrects eyelid position to keep eyelashes from rubbing against the eye. It prevents further corneal injury when trachoma has turned lashes inward.

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