Topical use of terramycin ointment in trachoma.

Material.-The patients were unselected; all the cases of trachoma who attended the Lebanese Red Cross Eye Clinic of Moussaitbeh were included, provided: (a) they did not suffer from any other ophthalmic or debilitating disease; (b) they attended the clinic regularly; (c) they had not had other treatment for trachoma for at least 6 months; (d) they used the ointment given to them regularly, twice a day. Classification.-The patients were classified into four groups, according to MacCallan (1936). Only cases of Trachoma I, II, and III were treated. We did not follow MacCallan's sub-divisions of Trachoma I and II because: (i) We found that cases of Trachoma I of the general lymphocytic type were difficult to diagnose clinically in the absence of laboratory facilities. Thus only the follicular type of Trachoma 1, which is much more frequently met with in Lebanon, was considered. (ii) We found that the sub-division of Trachoma II into (a) the follicular type, and (b) the papillary hypertrophic type was too theoretical. Most often our patients exhibit a mixture of these changes with predominance of one or the other. We tried to record the type of trachoma according to the follicles or papillary hypertrophy present. (iii) Pannus was recorded as follows: (+) -up to i of the cornea, (+ +) -more than I of the cornea. (+ + +) -pannus reaching pupil (patient's head illuminated by examination lamp).