Acceptance of surgery for trichiasis among rural Malawian women.

We sought to determine the proportion of women with trichiasis who subsequently accepted surgery and to evaluate factors related to acceptance. Women who accepted surgery were more likely to be widows, to be of low socioeconomic status, to live close to a main road, to know another woman who had surgery for trichiasis, and to have trichiasis in both eyes than women who did not accept surgery. Our results suggest that considerable education and encouragement are needed to increase acceptance of surgery for trichiasis.