What Eye Problems Result From Albinism
Albinism refers to a group of inherited conditions. People with
albinism have little or no pigment in the eyes, skin and hair.
Besides looking different, which may cause social problems,
albinos also have various impairments. In the most severe form
of albinism (called oculocutaneous albinism), those affected
appear to have hair, skin, and iris color that are white or pink
as well as vision defects. This article mainly concentrates on
the eye problems resulting from albinism. The eyes need melanin
pigment to develop normal vision. Because of that people with
albinism have impaired vision. The skin also needs pigment for
protection from sun damage so albinos sunburn themselves very
easily and have increased risk of getting skin cancer. Less
common types of albinism can also involve other problems.
Albinism often results extreme farsightedness or nearsightedness
and astigmatism. Sight can be improved with glasses, however,
normal or near normal vision is unusual even when glasses are
worn.
Other common eye impairments include nystagmus and strabismus.
Nystagmus is an involuntary movement of the eyes back and forth.
One way how some people cope with this problem is by using a
head tilt. This decreases the movement and may improve vision.
For nystagmus treatment eye muscle surgery is also an option
however this does not help in all cases.
Strabismus means that the eyes do not fixate and track together.
In some cases the alignment of the eyes improves with the
wearing of glasses. Young children are sometimes thought to use
the non preferred eye more. This is done by patching the other
eye. However treatment cannot correct the improper routing of
the nerves to the brain.
Photophobia also is a frequent disorder. In the case of
photophobia the eyes are very sensitive to the sun. This can be
coped with by wearing dark classes when exposed to the sun.
Albinism treatment mainly aims to ease symptoms and depends on
the extent of the disorder. The skin and eyes must be protected
from the sun. Sunglasses (UV protected) may relieve photophobia.
Sunburn risk can be reduced by avoiding the sun, by using
sunscreens and covering completely with clothing when exposed to
sun. Sunscreens should have a high SPF (sun protection factor).