Trial reportPLoS medicine2011
Surgery versus epilation for the treatment of minor trichiasis in Ethiopia: a randomised controlled noninferiority trial.
Trial report in PLoS medicine, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT00522912 (A Randomised Controlled Trial of Epilation Verses Immediate Surgery for the Management of Minor Trachomatous Trichiasis), which is not on this map. Cited by 24 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Randomised Controlled Trial of Epilation Verses Immediate Surgery for the Management of Minor Trachomatous Trichiasis
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 39 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic review of the incidence of post-operative trichiasis in Africa.BMC ophthalmology · 2020Pooled it
- Blinding Trachoma: Systematic Review of Rates and Risk Factors for Progressive Disease.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2016Pooled it
- Interventions for trachoma trichiasis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2015Pooled it
- The prevention and management of postoperative trachomatous trichiasis: A systematic review.Survey of ophthalmologyPooled it
- Pre-operative trichiatic eyelash pattern predicts post-operative trachomatous trichiasis.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2019Trial
- Fluorometholone 0.1% as Ancillary Therapy for Trachomatous Trichiasis Surgery: Randomized Clinical Trial.American journal of ophthalmology · 2019Trial
- Oral doxycycline for the prevention of postoperative trachomatous trichiasis in Ethiopia: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.The Lancet. Global health · 2018Trial
- Predictors of Trachomatous Trichiasis Surgery Outcome.Ophthalmology · 2017Trial
- Posterior lamellar versus bilamellar tarsal rotation surgery for trachomatous trichiasis in Ethiopia: a randomised controlled trial.The Lancet. Global health · 2016Trial
- Epilation for minor trachomatous trichiasis: four-year results of a randomised controlled trial.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2015Trial
- Trachoma.Lancet (London, England) · 2025Review
- Trichiasis with and without tarsal conjunctival scarring: A multi-country observational study.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Trachoma Impact Survey Results from 31 Woredas in Tigray Region, Ethiopia.Ophthalmic epidemiology · 2024Article
- Effect of repeated epilation for minor trachomatous trichiasis on lash burden, phenotype and surgical management willingness: A cohort study.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2020Article
- Article
- Eyelash Epilation in the Absence of Trichiasis: Results of a Population-Based Prevalence Survey in the Western Division of Fiji.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2017Article
- Trachoma and Relative Poverty: A Case-Control Study.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2015Article
- Pathogenesis of progressive scarring trachoma in Ethiopia and Tanzania and its implications for disease control: two cohort studies.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2015Article
- The limits of medical interventions for the elimination of preventable blindness.Tropical medicine and health · 2014Article
- The outcome of trachomatous trichiasis surgery in Ethiopia: risk factors for recurrence.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2013Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTrachomatous trichiasis can cause corneal damage and visual impairment. WHO recommends surgery for all cases. However, in many regions surgical provision is inadequate and patients frequently decline. Self-epilation is common and was associated with comparable outcomes to surgery in nonrandomised studies for minor trichiasis (<six lashes touching eye). This trial investigated whether epilation is noninferior to surgery for managing minor trichiasis. METHODS AND
findings1,300 individuals with minor trichiasis from Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia were recruited and randomly assigned (1:1) to receive trichiasis surgery or epilation. The epilation group were given new forceps and epilation training. The surgical group received trichiasis surgery. Participants were examined every 6 months for 2 years by clinicians masked to allocation, with 93.5% follow-up at 24 months. The primary outcome measure ("failure") was ≥five lashes touching the eye or receiving trichiasis surgery during 24 months of follow-up, and was assessed for noninferiority with a 10% prespecified noninferiority margin. Secondary outcomes included number of lashes touching, time to failure, and changes in visual acuity and corneal opacity. Cumulative risk of failure over 24 months was 13.2% in the epilation group and 2.2% in the surgical group (risk difference = 11%). The 95% confidence interval (8.1%-13.9%) includes the 10% noninferiority margin. Mean number of lashes touching the eye was greater in the epilation group than the surgery group (at 24 months 0.95 versus 0.09, respectively; p<0.001); there was no difference in change in visual acuity or corneal opacity between the two groups.
conclusionsThis trial was inconclusive regarding inferiority of epilation to surgery for the treatment of minor trichiasis, relative to the prespecified margin. Epilation had a comparable effect to surgery on visual acuity and corneal outcomes. We suggest that surgery be performed whenever possible but epilation be used for treatment of minor trichiasis patients without access to or declining surgery.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT00522912.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.