Through the discharge from the eyes of an infected child, trachoma is passed to others by hands, on clothing, or by flies that are attracted to dirty faces or runny noses. Without adequate treatment, the inner eyelid becomes scarred. After repeated infection and scarring, the eyelid turns inward, causing the eyelashes to rub against and damage the cornea, which leads to blindness. Blindness occurs only after multiple infections, usually when individuals are in their 40s or 50s. Because the disease causes blindness in the most productive years of a person's life, trachoma can ruin the economic well-being of entire families and communities.
Women are two to three times more likely than men to be blinded by trachoma.
A woman who becomes visually impaired due to the disease can no longer perform life-sustaining activities for her household, such as gathering firewood and cooking. To fill this gap, an older daughter may be pulled from school to assume these responsibilities, forgoing her opportunity to break the cycle of poverty with a formal education. In addition to Mali, Morocco, and Tanzania, ITI trachoma programs are underway in Vietnam and Sudan, and are scheduled to begin early this year in Ghana. As it makes plans for expanding its program, the ITI and its partner organizations are working to identify countries that offer good possibilities of success in battling trachoma.