Australia is the only developed country that still has trachoma. Whilst trachoma disappeared from mainstream Australia 100 years ago, it still occurs far too frequently in remote indigenous communities.

Trachoma, an ancient Greek word for ‘rough eye’, is an infectious eye disease caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis. This bacteria can be spread easily on an infected person’s hands or clothing, or may be carried by flies that have come in contact with discharge from the eyes or nose of an infected person. Because trachoma is transmitted through close personal contact, it tends to occur in clusters, often infecting entire families and communities.

Trachoma affects almost 10 percent of the world’s population. It usually occurs in undeveloped countries where people live in overcrowded conditions and have poor hygiene and limited access to water. For decades, there have been significant efforts to eradicate trachoma around the world, but despite these efforts, trachoma still exists. Australia is the only developed country that still has trachoma.

Trachoma is often referred to as ‘a quiet disease’, because those infected by trachoma do not instantly go blind. The disease manifests gradually.  While children are most susceptible to infection, they may not notice its effects until adulthood, when scarring from repeated infections causes the eyelashes to turn inward and scratch the cornea.

In some communities, the disease is so common that blindness from trachoma is simply accepted as a fact of life. Yet trachoma is treatable, and the suffering and vision loss this disease causes is avoidable.

Symptoms

The trachoma bacteria has an incubation period of five to 12 days.  People with trachoma initially experience symptoms similar to conjunctivitis, such as a stinging pain in the eye, photophobia (sensitivity to light), and swelling of the eyelids. If the disease is not treated, the inside of the eye thickens and gradually scars. The lachrymal glands, which normally form tears, become scarred too. Eyelids turn inwards, making them rub against the cornea, and this causes ulcers on the eye.  In the advanced stages of trachoma, the scarring is so bad it causes blindness. This usually happens around 40 to 50 years of age.

The Eye Foundation, along with a number of aligned health organisations in Australia, is funding the Central Australian Eye Health Program. This program aims to address the backlog of more than 350 people in Central Australia who are waiting for eye surgery. Some of those waiting for eye surgery have cataracts and trachoma.