Date Started: November 2025

Funder: Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)

Aim: To generate comprehensive evidence on the incidence, progression, and management of trachomatous trichiasis and other eye diseases, and to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of community-based screening and treatment approaches to improve eye health outcomes in Ethiopia.

Background
Visual impairment and blindness from trachoma remains a major public health challenge in Ethiopia. Trachomatous trichiasis (TT), the late stage of trachoma, affects thousands of adults, yet many cases remain undetected or untreated due to limited access to services, low awareness, and social barriers. Beyond trachoma, other ocular conditions also contribute to preventable vision loss, but population-level data on their prevalence, progression, and risk factors are limited.

Methods

An integrated research approach is designed. (1) TT cohort study: a prospective, longitudinal population-based TT cohort to track incidence, progression, and treatment outcome of trachomatous trichiasis; and  (2) TT FGC implementation-effectiveness, a mixed-method study nested within the TT cohort to evaluate clinical and cost-effectiveness of programmatic FGC TT case screening and management. 

Progress

Baseline data collection for the TT cohort has been completed, and the TT FGC study components are being implemented.