Trachoma
Trachoma is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness in the world.
Trachoma is a chronic form of conjunctivitis with resulting ulceration, scarring and opacification of the cornea.
This is caused by Chlamydia trachomatis and transmission is by direct person to person contact especially among children where it is prevalent.
In neonatal inclusion conjunctivitis, the following are seen clinically:
– thick mucupurulent eye discharge which tends to resolve spontaneously within weeks to several months
– pseudomembranes may develop in the conjunctiva with resulting
scarring in severe cases
Trachoma is a public health problem since control of blindness follows diagnosis and proper treatment.