Trachoma and cataract in developing countries

Cataract and trachoma, the principal causes of blindness in the world, are two ubiquitous diseases with different origins and distributions. They may coexist in the same patient due to their high frequency. They have complex interrelations which raise epidemiological, diagnostic and particularly therapeutic problems which are sometimes difficult to resolve, especially in the case of the commonest combination of senile cataract and presumably cicatricial trachoma. The public health problem raised by these two diseases in developing countries must be resolved. Two easily curable or preventable diseases should no longer be the principal causes of blindness in the world.