Many ophthalmic diseases are infectious in nature. One of these is trachoma of the eye. This is a serious disease that requires competent treatment. Otherwise, it can lead to total blindness.
Trachoma of the eye - what is it?
Trachoma is commonly understood as a disease of the conjunctival and cornea of the eye. It occurs due to tissue damage by chlamydia, has a chronic course. Most often it has a bilateral form. As a result of damage to the mucosa by pathogenic microflora, the formation of follicles in the tissues occurs, which after a while are transformed into scars. If left untreated, the disease quickly spreads to the cartilage conjunctiva, sclera, and cornea. As a result, total blindness sets in.
Trachoma of the eye was first described in 1907. In subsequent decades, this pathology was diagnosed in patients who consulted an ophthalmologist quite often. Today, it is detected much less frequently and mainly in the regions of central Africa, but it requires high-quality treatment. Small children are also susceptible. Complications are most often observed in elderly patients.
Main reasons
The causative agent of the disease is chlamydia. This parasite lives in epithelial cells. It causes an infectious process in various organs, including the mucous membrane of the eyes. Contagiousness is quite high. The population is 100% susceptible to trachoma, with children most susceptible.
Among the factors that increase the likelihood of developing the disease, doctors identify the following:
- decreased immunity;
- presence of chronic ophthalmic, viral or bacterial diseases;
- allergic reactions;
- poor-quality or incorrect treatment of pathologies of the visual apparatus, including through the fault of the patient himself.
Mucous discharge from the patient's eyes can directly get to a he althy person or indirectly, for example, through hygiene products or clothing. In addition, flying insects pose an epidemiological danger. Flies are able to carry the infection after contact with a sick person. The incubation period lasts from 5 to 16 days.
Clinical picture
Trachoma usually affects both eyes. However, there are exceptions in the form of damage to one organ of vision. The development of the disease is slow. The primary symptoms of ocular trachoma are:
- feeling of a foreign object under the eyelids;
- reddening of the conjunctiva;
- puffiness;
- formation of mucous discharge;
- increasedsensitivity to light.
Initially, the listed signs affect only the upper eyelid. Gradually, the mucosa thickens. Small bubbles form on the inside of the eyelid, which look like grains.
As the disease progresses, so do the symptoms. Purulent discharge appears from the eyes. It is possible to wrap the eyelid inward, there is a violation of its muscle tissue.
Development stages
The disease goes through several stages of development, each of which has its own symptoms. Both the treatment of ocular trachoma and the prognosis for recovery subsequently depend on this classification:
- Initial stage. Lasts no more than one week. It is characterized by swelling of the conjunctiva and its redness due to dilated capillaries. There is also abundant discharge from the eyes, follicles appear. Eyelashes constantly stick together and can fall out. Vision is gradually deteriorating. The submandibular and cervical lymph nodes become inflamed.
- Active stage. The number of follicles with purulent contents increases. Some of them merge together, which only increases the swelling of the eyelids. There is uncontrolled lacrimation. The cornea is involved in the pathological process. The patient is necessarily placed in a hospital, as he becomes a carrier of the disease.
- Scarring stage. Inflammation subsides, but scars appear in place of the follicles. Scars are visible even to the naked eye. As the scar tissue grows, the eyelid begins to deform. Eyelasheswrapped inward, injuring the cornea.
- Cicatricial stage. Symptoms of inflammation completely disappear. The cornea becomes cloudy, and scar tissue covers the entire eye. It can only be removed through surgery. There is a violation of the patency of the lacrimal canal. The cornea becomes so dense that ulcers develop on it. Vision deteriorates or disappears altogether.
Varieties of trachoma
Trachoma eye disease is also classified depending on the variety of pathological elements formed in the lesion. There are 4 types of it:
- papillary (papillary elements grow on the conjunctiva);
- follicular (formations are shaped like follicles);
- mixed (follicular and papillary forms are detected simultaneously);
- infiltrative (pathology extends to the conjunctival membranes of the eyelids and cartilage).
Determining the type of disease helps to make the right treatment tactics.
Diagnostic Methods
Diagnosis of pathology begins with the study of the patient's complaints, his anamnesis. After that, the doctor proceeds to a physical examination. As you can see in the photo, the symptoms of trachoma of the eye are in many ways reminiscent of ordinary conjunctivitis. At the initial stage of development, the patient is haunted by redness of the eyes and inflammation of the blood capillaries. Therefore, a physical examination is not an informative diagnostic method, especially at an early stage of the disease, when there are no pathological foci on the eyelids.
In addition, a comprehensive examination is assigned, which consists of the following activities:
- cytological scraping (allows you to detect pathological elements);
- immunofluorescence reaction (helps to detect chlamydia in the epithelium of the eyeball);
- polymerase chain reaction (performed to quantify pathogens).
According to the results of the examination, the doctor prescribes therapy.
Treatments
Treatment of ocular trachoma involves long-term topical antibiotic therapy. Usually they resort to the help of "Erythromycin", "Albucid", "Oletetrin". The duration of the standard course of treatment is 7 days, then you need to take a break of 10 days.
After the first two courses of therapy, doctors recommend opening or expressing the follicles under local anesthesia. This procedure involves surgery and is performed in a hospital setting. It provides an acceleration of the healing process, helps to reduce the amount of scar tissue. If necessary, the operation is carried out in two stages with a mandatory break of 14 days.
In addition to antibiotic therapy, for eye trachoma, immunomodulators and vitamin complexes are indicated. All complications of the pathological process are eliminated by surgery. For example, through cryosurgery, eyelashes are epilated when they are glued together. Eyelid torsion is corrected with the help of plastic surgery.
Possible Complications
With early medical attention and full therapy, the prognosis for trachoma of the eye is favorable. According to medical statistics, complete recovery occurs in 80% of cases in just a few months. After completion of the course of therapy, relapses are not excluded. Perhaps their appearance in 5 and even 20 years. Therefore, the patient should regularly undergo preventive examinations with a doctor.
Otherwise complications develop. The most common include clouding of the cornea and decreased visual acuity. Less common is the deformation of the eyelid, its fusion with the conjunctiva. Such changes are always accompanied by a violation of the production of moisture by the mucous membrane, against which the dry eye syndrome develops.
Some complications are inflammatory:
- Dacryocystitis. This is a pathology in which inflammation of the lacrimal sac is observed. At the same time, patients complain of discomfort and swelling of the lacrimal canal, discharge of pus, painful syndrome in the nose and teeth.
- Endophthalmitis. With this disease, a purulent secret accumulates in the vitreous body with impregnation of all the membranes of the eye.
These complications can be easily avoided if you seek medical help when the first symptoms of trachoma appear.
Prevention measures
In the photo, trachoma of the eye looks very unattractive, but in real life this ailment can cause a lot of problems for the patient. In order to prevent itoccurrence, doctors recommend adhering to the following rules:
- carefully monitor personal hygiene;
- do not use towels and other household items of strangers;
- avoid touching your eyes in public places;
- do not use other people's cosmetics;
- prevent contact with possibly infected people;
- regular preventive examinations by an ophthalmologist;
- make more wet cleaning in the house;
- do not use other people's glasses, contact lenses.
Prevention of a disease requires less effort and time than its treatment.
