River Blindness/Onchocerciasis

River blindness (Onchocerciasis) and other ocular parasitic diseases that involve the retina affect many populations around the world. The disease is transmitted to humans through the blackfly which lives in fertile riverbanks. Once infected the parasite migrates to all internal tissue of the eye except lens, causing eye inflammation, bleeding, and other complications leading to blindness.

Onchocerciasis is a major cause of blindness in many African countries including West and Central Africa and Yemen, as well as six countries in Latin America. It is estimated there are approximalty half a million blind people due to river blindness.