Field work after TT surgery

One of Nguyen Ngoc Danh’s favorite things to do is read the newspaper, but trachoma trichiasis (TT) was preventing him from being able to read without pain and tears pouring down his face.  TT is the painful and destructive condition occurring when multiple trachoma infections cause the eyelashes to turn inward, scratching the cornea and eventually leading to blindness. “I always had to ask my son to help me pluck eyelashes which teased my eyes,” Mr. Danh said. 

Nguyen Ngoc Danh is 52 years old and lives in the Hai Duong province of Vietnam.  While he couldn’t remember the first time he realized that he suffered from TT, he was certain about the way it was hindering his life.  When his TT became worse, Mr. Danh became depressed.  Helping his family with daily work in the field was becoming impossible; and his newspapers, once a source of joy and a way for him to connect with the community, became a cause of pain.
 
Mr. Danh’s life changed after he heard an announcement from the village loudspeaker about a TT surgery campaign being organized by ITI-Vietnam with financial support from United Way.  The procedure to correct TT is quick:  it can be performed by a trained health care worker in less than 15 minutes.  Mr. Danh and others like him are able to benefit from free surgery campaigns carried out in the national trachoma control program.
 
After meeting with a health care worker who urged Mr. Danh to take advantage of the surgical campaign, Mr. Danh met with an ophthalmologist at the clinic. The ophthalmologist confirmed the diagnosis of TT and urged Mr. Danh to have the procedure to save his sight.  Mr. Danh agreed without hesitation and had the procedure performed on both eyes.

More than 54,000 people in Vietnam are living with trachoma trichiasis (TT), a condition of blinding trachoma. In the context of Vietnam National Trachoma Control Program, ITI has committed to work together to reach the WHO ultimate intervention goals for eliminating blinding trachoma by 2010.  Included in this commitment is ITI’s support of TT surgery, a fundamental component (the “S” component) of the WHO-approved SAFE strategy to eliminate blinding trachoma. Through the support of ITI and the work of the Vietnamese health sector and dedicated organizations working to eliminate blinding trachoma in Vietnam, more than 83,000 operations to correct trichiasis were performed since 1999, saving those many thousands from going blind.

The ITI-Vietnam office was established in 2000 and works closely with Vietnam Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Training, National Institute of Ophthalmology, provincial committees and other international agencies. With the help of its partners, ITI-Vietnam implements the WHO-approved SAFE strategy for the elimination of blinding trachoma by supporting sight-saving TT surgeries, administering donated Zithromax® to cure trachoma infection, promoting hygiene and supporting the improvement of environmental conditions through access to clean water and sanitation.