BLINDNESS 245
2. Trachoma is the commonest cause
of preventable blindness in the world. It
often begins in children and may last
for months or years. If not treated early,
it can cause blindness. It is spread by
touch or flies and is most common in
poor, crowded living conditions.
Trachoma can often
be prevented by keeping
the child’s eyes clean and
keeping flies away. To
prevent blindness from
trachoma, treat early
with erythromycin or tetracycline eye
ointment (see a health worker, or
Where There Is No Doctor, p. 220).
SIGNS OF TRACHOMA
• begins like ‘red eye’ with red, watery, sore
eyes. Or in children it may develop for months
with few or no early signs.
• After a month or more, small lumps form inside
the upper eyelids.
• White of the eye becomes inflamed or swollen.
• Top edge of the cornea may look cloudy.
• After years the lumps inside eyelids begin to
go away, leaving whitish scars.
• The scars may pull the eyelashes down into
the eye,scratching the cornea and leading to
blindness.
3. Gonorrhea or chlamydia in the eyes of newborn babies
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baby at birth even if she has no signs of infection.
If the baby’s eyes get red, swell, and have a lot of pus in
them within the first month, he may have one or both of these
infections. If you cannot test to find out which disease is causing
the infection, give the baby medicines for both.
Treatment for gonorrhea: inject 125 mg. of ceftriaxone in
the thigh muscle, 1 time only.
Put the
ointment
inside the
lower lid.
Treatment for chlamydia: give 30 mg. erythromycin syrup by mouth, 4 times a day, for 14 days.
If a baby develops gonorrhea or chlamydia of the eyes, both parents must be treated for these
infections too. See Where There Is No Doctor (pages 236, 237 and 360) or Where Women Have No
Doctor (Chapter 16).
4. River blindness (onchocerciasis) is a very common cause of
blindness in parts of Africa and Latin America. (See Where There Is
No Doctor, p. 227.) It is spread by a kind of black fly that breeds in
rivers and streams. There is no cure.
BLACK FLY
actual size
5. Measles, which can injure the surface of the eyes, is a common cause of blindness, especially in
Africa and in children who are poorly nourished.
6. Brain damage causes blindness in many children, usually in
combination with cerebral palsy or other disabilities. Brain damage can
happen before, during, or after birth. Causes include German measles
during pregnancy, delayed breathing at birth, and meningitis. See p. 91.
WARNING
7. Eye injuries often cause blindness in children. Pointed tools,
fireworks, acid, lye, and homemade bombs to dynamite fish are
common causes.
8. Also, blindness in children is sometimes caused by other problems
such as hydrocephalus (see p. 169), arthritis (see p. 136), leprosy (see
p. 219), brain tumors, or certain medicines (see p. 246). Cataracts
(clouding of the lens inside the eye) gradually develop in about half of
older children with Down syndrome.
Running with a pointed object
is DANGEROUS TO THE EYES.
disabled village children