Faces of women with trachoma

Trachoma affects overwhelmingly more women than men because it is often carried by young children, who reinfect their mothers, sisters, aunts and grandmothers.

Dr Wondu Alemayehu, a world-renowned Ethiopian eye surgeon, is working with international development NGO The Fred Hollows Foundation to eradicate blinding trachoma in Ethiopia.

"It’s heartbreaking. Mothers, who are the pillars of their families in Ethiopia, are shouldering the burden of this crisis," Dr Wondu told Al Jazeera.

"We must urgently provide more antibiotics, more mobile surgical teams, and better access to clean water and sanitation. I’ve spent 30 years fighting trachoma and I hate this disease so much."

Brian Doolan, chief executive of The Fred Hollows Foundation, said trachoma is known as the "quiet disease" because it destroys eyesight very slowly.

"This is not a typical emergency, it's not a war or a natural disaster, but it could still have a devastating impact on millions of people."

Read more at: www.aljazeera.com