Albinism is a skin disease that’s caused by little to no production of melanin. This disorder can affect vison, skin, hair and the person’s ability to tan. Certain genes in our body are responsible for making proteins that are involved in making melanin, which is produced by cells called melanocytes. Albinism is caused when a mutation occurs in one of these genes. It’s also caused by recessive inheritance. This means that a person has to inherit two copies of one mutated gene- one from each parent in order to inherit albinism. Signs of Albinism in vision occurs when the person is experiencing nystagmus which is involuntary back and forth movement of the eyes, inability for both eyes to move in unison also known as strabismus, extreme near
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Although the most common way to recognize albinism is white hair and pinkish skin, skin pigmentations can range from white to brown. For some people, skin coloration never changes, for others, melanin starts producing in their childhood and teenage years resulting in slight changes in skin color. People with albinism are more prone to getting a sunburn and having skin cancer. Hair color can range from white to brown or it sometimes depends on the person’s ethnicity. For example, Africans may have yellow or reddish hair. Like skin color hair pigmentation can change later on. Eye color in albinos varies from very light blue to brown and can possibly change with age. A person with Albinism might appear to have red eyes in some lighting because of their irises. The lack of pigment in their iris makes their eyes translucent which means that their iris can’t block light from entering the eye. So what we see is light reflected off the back of the eye and passes the …show more content…
Regardless of the type, vision impairment will always be an impact of albinism. There’s four types of Albinism: Oculocutaneous albinism (type 1, 2, and 3) , X-linked ocular, Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome and Chediak-Higashi syndrome. Oculocutaneous albinism is mainly caused by a mutation in one of four genes. People with type one OCA are born with milky-white skin, white hair and blue eyes. During their early childhood some might experience an increase melanin production and their hair might become golden brown. Sometimes it might even turn red or brown depending on their melanin production. The iris in their eyes may change color and loose its translucence. OCA type 2 tends to be most common in sub- Saharan Africans, African Americans and Native Americans. Their hair is yellow, red or sometimes auburn. Their eyes can be blue or grey, while their skin is white since birth. As time goes on, their skin may develop freckles or moles. Type 2 OCA is most common in South Africans. People with this type, usually have reddish-brown skin, red hair and brown eyes. On the other hand, X-linked ocular albinism is caused when there’s a gene mutation on the X chromosome. This occurs exclusively in males. People with this disorder, have vision problems, but their skin, hair and eye color are in the normal range or sometimes slightly lighter than other members of their family. People with Hemansky- Pudlak syndrome is a rare type of albinism which is caused
Although the most common way to recognize albinism is white hair and pinkish skin, skin pigmentations can range from white to brown. For some people, skin coloration never changes, for others, melanin starts producing in their childhood and teenage years resulting in slight changes in skin color. People with albinism are more prone to getting a sunburn and having skin cancer. Hair color can range from white to brown or it sometimes depends on the person’s ethnicity. For example, Africans may have yellow or reddish hair. Like skin color hair pigmentation can change later on. Eye color in albinos varies from very light blue to brown and can possibly change with age. A person with Albinism might appear to have red eyes in some lighting because of their irises. The lack of pigment in their iris makes their eyes translucent which means that their iris can’t block light from entering the eye. So what we see is light reflected off the back of the eye and passes the …show more content…
Regardless of the type, vision impairment will always be an impact of albinism. There’s four types of Albinism: Oculocutaneous albinism (type 1, 2, and 3) , X-linked ocular, Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome and Chediak-Higashi syndrome. Oculocutaneous albinism is mainly caused by a mutation in one of four genes. People with type one OCA are born with milky-white skin, white hair and blue eyes. During their early childhood some might experience an increase melanin production and their hair might become golden brown. Sometimes it might even turn red or brown depending on their melanin production. The iris in their eyes may change color and loose its translucence. OCA type 2 tends to be most common in sub- Saharan Africans, African Americans and Native Americans. Their hair is yellow, red or sometimes auburn. Their eyes can be blue or grey, while their skin is white since birth. As time goes on, their skin may develop freckles or moles. Type 2 OCA is most common in South Africans. People with this type, usually have reddish-brown skin, red hair and brown eyes. On the other hand, X-linked ocular albinism is caused when there’s a gene mutation on the X chromosome. This occurs exclusively in males. People with this disorder, have vision problems, but their skin, hair and eye color are in the normal range or sometimes slightly lighter than other members of their family. People with Hemansky- Pudlak syndrome is a rare type of albinism which is caused