trachoma

American  

[truh-koh-muh] / trəˈkoʊ mə /

noun

Ophthalmology.

1. a chronic, contagious infection of the conjunctiva and cornea, characterized by the formation of granulations and scarring and caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis.

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trachoma British  

/ trəˈkəʊmə, trəˈkɒmətəs, -ˈkəʊ- /

noun

1. a chronic contagious disease of the eye characterized by inflammation of the conjunctiva and cornea and the formation of scar tissue, caused by infection with the virus-like bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis

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trachoma Scientific  

/ trə-kō′mə /

1. A contagious disease of the conjunctiva and cornea, caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis and characterized by granules of inflammatory tissue. It is a major cause of blindness in Asia and Africa.

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Other Word Forms

• trachomatous adjective

Etymology

Origin of trachoma

1685–95; < Greek trā́chōma roughness, equivalent to trāch ( ýs ) rough + -ōma -oma

Example Sentences

In May 2021, for example, Britain abruptly ended a £1 million annual donation to a program that provided treatment for trachoma — a bacterial eye infection — to 1.7 million people in Zambia.

From New York Times • Oct. 19, 2022

Since 2002, tens of millions of people have been treated for trachoma — and spared blindness.

From Washington Post • Jul. 1, 2020

Dr Kandei is a specialist in correcting blinding trachoma, the leading cause of preventable blindness in the world.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2018

About 6 million people are blind from trachoma, a disease caused by the lack of clean water combined with poor hygiene practices.

From Textbooks • Sep. 6, 2018

He writes a T on her arm for trachoma, an eye infection.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool