
Myopia or hypermetropia: The person may have extreme nearsightedness or farsightedness.Amblyopia: This is the medical name for a lazy eye.Nystagmus: The eyes move rapidly and uncontrollably back and forth.Possible changes to eye function include:
VisionĪll types of albinism affect the vision to a certain degree. The lack of pigment prevents the iris from fully blocking sunlight, so the person is sensitive to light. Low levels of melanin in the iris mean that the eyes can appear slightly translucent and, in a certain light, look red or pink as the light reflects off the retina at the back of the eye. Eye colorĮye color may also change with age and can vary from very light blue to brown. Those of African or Asian descent tend to have yellow, brown, or reddish hair.Īs the individual ages, their hair color may slowly darken.
In people with albinism, hair color can range from white to brown.
#Albinism purple eyes skin#
People with albinism should use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 20 and report any new moles or other skin changes to a doctor. There is also a higher risk of skin cancer.
lentigines, which are large freckle-like spots. moles, which are usually pink in color due to the reduced quantities of pigment. After sun exposure, some people with albinism might develop: In some people, levels of melanin slowly increase over time, darkening the skin tone as the person ages.Īn individual’s skin may burn easily in the sun, and it does not usually tan. The most obvious sign of albinism is a lighter skin tone, although this is not always the case. The main symptoms of albinism affect the vision and the color of the skin, hair, and eyes. The white blood cells can have defects, making the person more prone to infections. The symptoms may resemble those of oculocutaneous albinism, but a person’s hair can appear silvery, and their skin can look slightly gray. Chediak-Higashi syndrome: This is a very rare form of albinism resulting from a mutation in the CHS1 gene. The symptoms are similar to those of oculocutaneous albinism, but bowel, heart, kidney, and lung diseases or bleeding disorders, such as hemophilia, are more likely. Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome: This rare variant is most common in Puerto Rico. Vision problems are present, but eye, hair, and skin color are generally within the normal range. X-linked ocular albinism: A genetic mutation in the X chromosome causes X-linked ocular albinism, which mainly affects males. OCA type 4: This type is most common among East Asian populations. This type mostly affects Black South Africans. OCA type 3: Vision problems are usually milder in type 3 than in other types. OCA type 2: Less severe than type 1, this occurs most often in sub-Saharan Africans, African Americans, and some Native American communities. With age, some individuals’ skin and hair may darken. OCA type 1: Individuals tend to have milky skin, white hair, and blue eyes. Albinism has two main types: ocular albinism (OA), which primarily affects the eyes, and oculocutaneous albinism (OCA), which affects the skin, hair, and eyes.ĭoctors further subdivide OCA into a number of subgroups depending on the specific genes it affects.