Eye Problems Resulting From Albinism

Albinism refers to a group of inherited conditions. People with albinism have little or no pigment in the eyes.

The most severe form of albinism is called 'oculocutaneous albinism', and affected person is sure to have vision defects.

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. 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 sun protection factor.


Filed under Eye Treatment

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4 Responses to “Eye Problems Resulting From Albinism”

  1. Albinism Link to Eye Problems - Consanesco - Health blog Says:

    [...] p normal vision. Because of that people with albinism have impaired vision. Read more on The Eye Care Blog.
    You may also like to readObese, Even With Inte [...]

  2. Dave Says:

    I didn’t know there was an albinism issue.

  3. Brian Says:

    Yes, I think so and when u start wearing them again, use more of ur eye drops for each use, or whatever u uses or use it more often or just simply not wear contacts for long extended periods every day.
    If u also have glasses. This stuff is a life saver - I got my info from my doctor who can be found by following the following link : http://www.icanseeclearly.com/
    These people really know what they’re talking about.

  4. Brian Says:

    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. 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. http://www.icanseeclearly.com/ 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 sun protection factor.

  5. DENNIS REED Says:

    Can someone please explain why does some people white part of their eye’s turn yellowish?

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