World Sight Day: spotlight on trachoma - in pictures

Shafiki, three, from eastern Uganda, is suffering from trachoma, an infectious bacterial disease that causes repeated conjunctivitis and, eventually, blindness. The two key factors in the dissemination of trachoma are human contact and the common black fly
Photograph: Zul Mukhida/Sightsavers

A villager walks through the compound of his home in the rural Kamuli district of Uganda. As a result of the dry, dusty conditions and lack of clean water, trachoma – which affects about 84 million people worldwide – is endemic in the region
Photograph: Zul Mukhida/Sightsavers

Badetoye Eliyabu, 70, stands by the field that once provided his livelihood. Before he was afflicted by trachoma, he was a farmer. Then, he says, he 'could do everything'; now, he can no longer identify the crops in his fields and struggles to feed himself
Photograph: Zul Mukhida/Sightsavers

An ophthalmic clinical officer at work in a rural community in eastern Uganda. By giving trachoma-endemic communities an annual dose of Zithromax, an antibiotic tablet, both the prevalence of trachoma and the rate of reinfection can be reduced
Photograph: Zul Mukhida/Sightsavers

'A' is for antibiotics … Safe, the acronym for the World Health Organisation's trachoma strategy, stands for: surgery (a simple operation to pull the eyelid back in the disease's most advanced stage); antibiotics; face-washing; and environmental hygiene
Photograph: Kate Holt/Sightsavers

Children in Kijiado, Kenya, inspect a poster stressing the importance of facial cleanliness. One of the best ways to prevent the spread of trachoma is by encouraging face- and handwashing, but that can be problematic in areas where water is scarce
Photograph: Kate Holt/Sightsavers

At Orinie primary school near Kijiado in Kenya, health workers promote the use of the 'leaky tin' as a solution to the face- and handwashing problem. Rainwater is collected in a tin and is then released through a small hole, ensuring that it does not go to waste
Photograph: Kate Holt/Sightsavers

Simo Glades, 65, from Kamuli in Uganda, removes her bandages after successful surgery to restore her vision. Trachoma had rendered her partially blind; to stop the pain she plucked out her eyelashes, only to find that the new ones hurt even more
Photograph: Zul Mukhida/Sightsavers

Surgery can transform the lives of those in the advanced stages of disease, but it’s a race against time. Trachoma blindness is irreversible, so if patients are not treated in time, they will remain blind. It costs as little as £5 to perform the required surgery
Photograph: Zul Mukhida/Sightsavers

This entire family were suffering from trachoma for over a year before they were discovered by a health worker visiting their community in eastern Uganda. Sightsavers hope to reach more families like this one by raising £62m over the next 10 years
Photograph: Zul Mukhida/Sightsavers