Trachoma occurs worldwide -- primarily in rural settings among developing countries. It frequently affects children, although the consequences of scarring may not be evident until later in life. While trachoma is rare in the United States, certain populations marked by poverty, crowded living conditions and/or poor hygiene are at higher risk for this illness.

Trachoma is acquired through direct contact with eye or nose-throat secretions from affected individuals and inanimate objects which may have been in contact with these secretions, such as towels or clothes can also spread the disease. In addition, certain flies which have fed on these secretions can transmit trachoma.

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