---
title: "Trachoma | Eye Health Guide"
description: "What trachoma is, why the World Health Organization targets it for elimination, how it spreads, and the SAFE prevention strategy. Clinically reviewed."
url: https://eyehealthguide.org/conditions/trachoma/
source: Eye Health Guide
licence: "General information only. Cite the URL and the named medical reviewer."
---

Condition

# Trachoma

Medical reviewer [Mr Mohamed Mohyudin](https://eyehealthguide.org/reviewers/mohamed-mohyudin/)· Last recorded site review July 6, 2026

### About this review

This page inherits the site’s previous review record. A separate, current article sign-off has not yet been recorded.

[How review works](https://eyehealthguide.org/reviewers/) · [Official biography & credentials](https://mohamedmohyudin.co.uk/author/mohamed-mohyudin/)

Quick answer

Trachoma is a contagious eye infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, spread through close contact, unwashed hands and flies in areas with poor sanitation. Repeated infection scars the eyelids inward, scratching the cornea and causing blindness. It is preventable with hygiene, antibiotics and surgery, and WHO leads global elimination efforts.

### On this page ⌄

1. Your next step
2. What it is
3. How it spreads
4. WHO SAFE strategy
5. Recognition and action
6. Related conditions
7. Treatments & Surgery
8. Frequently asked questions

## What it is

Trachoma begins as conjunctivitis in children in affected communities. Repeated episodes scar the inner eyelid, turning lashes inward (trichiasis), which rubs and scars the cornea, leading to vision loss.

## How it spreads

Spread occurs through direct contact with eye or nose discharge, shared cloths, and flies that carry infection. It clusters where water and sanitation are limited, affecting vulnerable communities rather than high-income settings.

## WHO SAFE strategy

WHO promotes Surgery for trichiasis, Antibiotics for infection, Facial cleanliness, and Environmental improvement. Mass antibiotic programmes and clean water access have greatly reduced trachoma worldwide.

## Recognition and action

In endemic regions, red irritated eyes, sticky discharge and inward-turning lashes need community health assessment. Travellers are at low risk unless living long-term in endemic areas without hygiene support.

## Related conditions

## Treatments & Surgery

## Frequently asked questions

### Is trachoma still a cause of blindness?

Yes. WHO lists trachoma among leading preventable causes of blindness worldwide, though elimination programmes have reduced it dramatically in many countries.

### How is trachoma prevented?

Prevention follows WHO's SAFE approach: surgery for in-turned lashes, antibiotics for active infection, face washing, and better water and sanitation.

### Is trachoma common in the UK or US?

Trachoma is rare in high-income countries with good sanitation. It mainly affects communities in parts of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America with repeated exposure and limited water access.

Optional — donate

## Want to fund sight-restoring surgery?

Eye Health Guide does not take donations. If you want to give, World Aid Network funds cataract and other sight-restoring operations through locally licensed ophthalmologists in Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia.

[Donate at World Aid Network](https://worldaidnetwork.org/donate)[World Aid Network eye health](https://worldaidnetwork.org/eye-health)[Their page on this condition](https://worldaidnetwork.org/eye-health/trachoma)[How this site relates to the charity](https://eyehealthguide.org/support/)

Eye Health Guide and World Aid Network are related public-interest projects and share a medical reviewer. Donations go to World Aid Network. This website does not take a cut, and giving is never required to read a page.

Your next step

## Take this to your appointment

Write down what has changed, when it started, your current medicines and the questions you want answered. Take these to your eye-care appointment.

Sudden loss of sight, severe eye pain or a dark curtain across vision needs immediate assessment. Do not wait to complete a worksheet.

## Sources for this information

These references support the information on this page. Follow the linked source for its full context.

- [World Health Organization - Trachoma](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/trachoma)