Blindness could be cured after a breakthrough in treatment

Blindness could be cured after a breakthrough in treatment

According to a UCSF study, treatment for an eye blinding infection could cure blindness completely. The dosage for this treatment is given every year but if given six months, it can be even more effective.

Trachoma is the leading cause of blindness and currently, the dosage for treatment is given to patients on an annual basis.

Bruce Gaynor, MD assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Francis I says that they can do more with the treatment despite using less amount of the medication.

"We are trying to get as much out of the medicine as we can because of the cost and the repercussions of mass treatments."

A cluster-randomized trial was conducted by researchers. An antibiotic called azithromycin that’s being used in Ethiopia for treating trachoma was used in the treatment. 24 communities were handpicked and were then randomized with two different treatment
plans.

Patients of trachoma from 12 villages were given azithromycin every six months while the other 12 villagers were treated traditionally, i.e, given a dosage every 12 months.

"What we found was the prevalence of trachoma is very high at baseline. Forty to 50 percent of the children in these communities have this condition," Gaynor said. "They are the most susceptible and it can quickly spread from person to person by direct
or even indirect contact."

Both groups were then studied extensively by researchers who found the prevalence of the infection decreased at a dramatically low level. Their finding is significant because of how easily the disease spreads. Trachoma can be transmitted through touching
one’s eyes or nose after being in close contact with someone who is infected. It can also be spread through a towel or an article of clothing from a person who has trachoma. Even flies can transmit the disease.

Trachoma is one of the most widespread infections in the world with approximately 41 million people suffering from it and out of those 41 million, 8 million go to complete blindness due to the lack of access to the treatment which is costly.

Chlamydia trachomatis is the bacteria which is responsible for this disease and unlike other antibiotics, the bacteria has shown zero resistance to the treatment.

These major findings are certainly a ray hope to the likes of Africa, Asia, Middle East and parts of Australia and Latin America where trachoma is a serious problem.

"We will now be able to reach more people and make the treatment go twice as far as before," Gaynor said. "This will make a huge impact in slowing down trachoma-related blindness globally."

This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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Posted by Taimoor Tariq on Dec 22 2011. Filed under Sci-Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry