Antibiotic effective against leading cause of blindness

AORN Journal,  July, 2006  

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A single oral dose of azithromycin administered after surgery is more effective for reducing recurrence of trichiasis than a six-week application of tetracycline ointment directly to the eye (ie, the usual preventive treatment), according to a March 13, 2006, news release from the National Institutes of Health. Researchers in Wolayta Zone, Ethiopia, administered a single dose of azithromycin to patients after surgical repair of the eyeLid and found that the recurrence of trichiasis was reduced by one-third.

Trichiasis is condition in which the eyelid turns inward and eyelashes rub against the eye, often resulting in corneal scarring and Loss of vision. It is a result of trachoma, an eye infection that is the leading preventable cause of blindness in the world. The condition occurs in poor, overcrowded communities that have Little access to clean water, waste treatment facilities, or health care and is spread through contact with infected people, flies or other insects, and clothing or household items that carry the bacterium. An estimated 11 million people develop trichiasis every year worldwide.

Researchers suggest that the findings of this study may have major implications for preventing future vision Loss in populations at risk for recurrence of trichiasis. In addition, researchers believe that the findings are transferable to other settings because there is now a free azithromycin distribution program available in most countries with widespread trichiasis.

Antibiotic Effective Against Leading Cause of Blindness Throughout the World (news release, Bethesda, Md: National Institutes of Health, March 13, 2006) http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/mar2006/nei-13.htm (accessed 16 March 2006).

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