Corneal Ulcer Prevention Through Health Education

A community-randomized trial comparing villages randomized to receive an intervention consisting of a trained community health volunteer who brings patients to the nearest Vision Centers or Primary Health Care Centers for treatment after diagnosing a corneal abrasion to control villages receiving no additional intervention. The primary outcome of corneal ulcer will be measured by baseline and annual population-based census performed in both intervention and control villages by masked examiners from baseline to 24 months. Each resident in the village will be asked about their ocular history and, if suspected of having a corneal ulcer, will be examined for evidence of a corneal opacity. Annual visits will occur, coinciding with the end of the harvest season. In villages randomized to intervention, an active promotion campaign will be undertaken to urge residents to notify the village eye health worker within 24 hours of ocular trauma. In control villages, abrasions and ulcers will be treated if they present to a clinic or are found during the annual monitoring visits, but active promotion of corneal abrasion care will not be offered.