In 1998, The Carter Center began a program to control trachoma.
Trachoma is the world s leading cause of preventable blindness.
A chronic bacterial infection, trachoma is spread easily from person to person. Inflammation of the eyelids causes scarring, and the scarring results in in-turned eyelashes, which cause painful abrasion of the cornea and then blindness. Worldwide, only cataracts cause more blindness than trachoma, notes Donald R. Hopkins, M.D., associate executive director of The Carter Center. However, unlike cataracts, trachoma can be prevented. In fact, simple hygiene is the primary tool used against trachoma.