Does anyone have reasonable figures for the incidence of Trichiasis?

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Request for Question Clarification by blazius-ga on 03 Sep 2002 04:02 PDT

Trichiasis (a misdirection of eyelashes towards the eyeball) has
several causes, and the incidence may vary between different regions
of the world.

It would be helpful if you could supply some more details on the kind
of numbers you seek.

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Clarification of Question by nomi-ga on 03 Sep 2002 04:21 PDT

I am looking for the incidence in the U.S.

The short answer to your question is "no".

It does not seem to be any reliable figures on the incidence of
trichiasis in the United States of America.  I have done searches both
on Google and PubMed
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed) for any
mention of such numbers, but most population studies on the condition
have been performed in developing countries.

eMedicine's information page on trichiasis
(http://www.emedicine.com/oph/topic609.htm) states that the exact
incidence of trichiasis in the US is unknown, but mentions that
"simple trichiasis involving only a few lashes is relatively common. 
Diffuse trichiasis involving the entire lid margin is much less
common, and it is seen primarily in countries where trachoma is
endemic."  (Trachoma is a chronic follicular conjunctivitis caused by
Chlamydia trachomatis that leads to scarring in the conjunctiva.)  No
known racial or sexual predilection is evident.

Search strategy:
Different combinations of "trichiasis"/"eyelash inversion",
"incidence"/"frequency" was used on Google and PubMed

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Clarification of Answer by blazius-ga on 04 Sep 2002 06:52 PDT

I am sorry that my answer did not satisfy your needs.  If you would
like another Google Answers researcher to try locating the information
you need, I recommend that you apply for a refund (see
https://answers.google.com/answers/faq.html#refund for details).

To avoid further disappointment, you should state clearly which
information you already know, and emphazise the required accurancy of
the answer.

I was able to find all the information offered here with my own simple
search. My question was not answered to my satisfaction, although
strictly there was a definitive answer.

I was able to find this information myself with a simple search. I was
looking for something more.