Landers John, Kleinschmidt Andrew, Wu Johnny, Burt Benjamin, Ewald Dan, Henderson Tim
Department of Ophthalmology, Alice Springs Hospital, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.
Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2005 Apr;33(2):142-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-9071.2005.00972.x.
Trachoma is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide, resulting from conjunctival scarring, upper lid entropion and trichiasis, leading to corneal scarring and opacification. This study was designed to investigate the current prevalence of cicatricial trachoma in an indigenous population within Central Australia and help determine whether trachoma remains a public health issue.
Participants aged 40 and over were recruited from patients attending one of 16 remote ophthalmology clinics held at indigenous communities in Central Australia within the Northern Territory. Once informed consent had been obtained, each patient underwent examination for evidence of trachomatous scarring, trachomatous trichiasis and corneal opacities. Results were collated and compared with previous prevalence surveys.
Among the sample (n = 181), there were 97 patients (54%; 95% CI 46.7-61.3) with trachomatous scarring, 15 patients (8%; 95% CI 2.8-13.2) with trichiasis and 5 patients (3%; 95% CI 0.5-5.5) with corneal opacities.
This study suggests that, although the prevalence of the cicatricial and blinding consequences of trachoma may be decreasing in patients aged 40 years or greater, when compared with the current prevalence in other areas of Australia, trachoma still remains a public health issue in Central Australia.
沙眼是全球主要致盲原因之一，由结膜瘢痕、上睑内翻和倒睫引起，进而导致角膜瘢痕和混浊。本研究旨在调查澳大利亚中部原住民人群中瘢痕性沙眼的当前患病率，并帮助确定沙眼是否仍是一个公共卫生问题。
从澳大利亚北部地区中部原住民社区举办的16家远程眼科诊所就诊的患者中招募40岁及以上的参与者。在获得知情同意后，对每位患者进行沙眼瘢痕、沙眼性倒睫和角膜混浊的检查。整理结果并与以前的患病率调查进行比较。
在样本（n = 181）中，有97例患者（54%；95%可信区间46.7 - 61.3）有沙眼瘢痕，15例患者（8%；95%可信区间2.8 - 13.2）有倒睫，5例患者（3%；95%可信区间0.5 - 5.5）有角膜混浊。
本研究表明，尽管40岁及以上患者中沙眼的瘢痕性和致盲后果患病率可能在下降，但与澳大利亚其他地区的当前患病率相比，沙眼在澳大利亚中部仍然是一个公共卫生问题。
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