Posts
This week we are looking
at an eye condition I haven’t heard of it is Trachoma which is a bacterial eye
infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis.
It’s one of the
world’s leading preventable causes of blindness, and while rare in most
developed countries, it still occurs in remote Australian communities,
especially among Aboriginal children.
Trachoma is an infectious
disease of the conjunctiva (the inner surface of the eyelid). Repeated
infections over many years cause scarring, which can eventually make the eyelid
turn inward, so the eyelashes scrape the cornea this is a painful condition
called trichiasis. Without treatment, this can lead to corneal damage and
blindness.
It
is spread through eye and nose secretions from infected people. As in direct
contact of hands, faces and close play, as well as sharing towels, bedding, or
face cloths. Then there is a way you may not think of and that’s flies that
land on infected eyes and then on others
It
thrives in places like overcrowded housing, limited access to clean water resulting
in difficulty with face‑washing and other hygiene
Symptoms
vary by stage and often start mild, especially in children. Early symptoms
include itchy, irritated eyes, redness, a sticky discharge and swollen eyelids.
Then
there are the symptoms after long‑term progression which happens if untreated,
these are scarring of the inner eyelid, the eyelid turning inward, eyelashes
scraping the cornea, corneal clouding then vision loss or blindness.
Who
is most at risk, well young children and women in affected communities due to
close contact with children.
In Australia,
trachoma is found almost exclusively in remote Aboriginal communities, making
Australia the only developed country where blinding trachoma still occurs.
This
condition is treatable, especially in early stages with a single dose of the
antibiotic azithromycin, all household contacts should be treated at the same
time to stop reinfection.
The longer it is
left untreated the more advanced disease becomes trichiasis which may require surgery
to correct the eyelid position.
