PURPOSE Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide. Conjunctival scarring is initiated by recurrent Chlamydia trachomatis infection. However, disease progression to trichiasis occurs even in regions where chlamydial prevalence is currently low, which suggests that other factors, for example other bacterial infection, may also drive inflammation and scarring, particularly in...

PURPOSE to evaluate the position of the upper eyelid margin and eye surface status in cicatricial trachoma without trichiasis (TS). METHODS Slit-lamp biomicroscopy was employed to evaluate the location of the upper lid mucocutaneous transition of 156 eyes of 78 patients with trichiasis and of 130 eyes of 65 control subjects. For each eye the position of the upper lid mucocutaneous junction wa...

BACKGROUND Trichiasis is the main risk factor for corneal opacification. The primary treatment of trichiasis is surgical. Successful surgery is likely to halt the progression of corneal opacity. The aim of the study is to report the efficacy of the anterior lamellar marginal z-plasty combined with transverse tarsotomy in the management of severe trichiasis andcicatricial entropion of upper eyel...

BACKGROUND Trachoma causes blindness through an anatomical abnormality called trichiasis (lashes touching the eye). Trichiasis can recur after corrective surgery. We tested the hypothesis that using absorbable sutures instead of silk sutures might reduce the risk of recurrent disease among patients with major trichiasis in a randomised trial. METHODS AND FINDINGS 1,300 individuals with major ...

Purpose: To compare the trichiasis surgery workforce in Jigawa state with the World Health Organization recommendations for surgical technique, training and equipment supply; and to explore the self-reported challenges faced by the lid surgeons in the recruitment and management of trichiasis patients. Methodology: All available trichiasis surgeons in the state were given questionnaires to compl...

AIMS To calculate the gender distribution of trichiasis cases in trachoma communities in Vietnam and Tanzania, and the gender distribution of surgical cases, to determine if women are using surgical services proportional to their needs. METHODS Population based data from surveys done in Tanzania and Vietnam as part of the national trachoma control programmes were used to determine the rate of...

There has been no published investigation into the reasons why some patients with severe trachomatous conjunctival scarring develop entropion and trichiasis while others do not. In a population of leprosy patients with severe trachomatous conjunctival scarring the authors found that lagophthalmos correlated with the absence of trichiasis and entropion. We suggest that orbicularis oculi muscle f...

BACKGROUND Eyelid surgery is done to correct trachomatous trichiasis to prevent blindness. However, recurrent trichiasis is frequent. Two procedures are recommended by WHO and are in routine practice: bilamellar tarsal rotation (BLTR) and posterior lamellar tarsal rotation (PLTR). This study was done to identify which procedure gives the better results. METHODS A randomised, controlled, singl...

PURPOSE To determine whether trachoma is a public health problem requiring intervention in Cambodia. METHODS Based on historical evidence and reports, 14 evaluation units (EUs) in Cambodia, judged to be most likely to harbor trachoma, were selected. The Global Trachoma Mapping Project methodology was used to carry out rigorous surveys to determine the prevalence of trachomatous inflammation-f...