What is albinism

A.� It's genetic condition that causes people to have little or no pigment in their eyes, skin, or hair. Albinism is an inherited condition, where the genes do not produce the pigment melanin.

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Q.� What causes albinism

A.� In the majority of cases a person with albinism is the outcome of two parents both carrying an albinism gene.

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Because we inherit two lots of genes, one from each parent, it's possible for a person to carry the albinism gene but without any lack of hair, eye or skin colour. Therefore the albinism gene is recessive: a person needs the gene from both sets of parents to exhibit the signs of the condition.

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Because albinism isn't life threatening, the gene hasn't been wiped out. Conversely because it isn't advantageous either it is relatively rare.

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Q.� Do all albinos have red eyes

A.� No, there are different types of albinism, and the amount of pigment in the eyes varies with each one. Although some individuals with albinism have reddish or violet eyes, most have blue eyes. Some have hazel or brown eyes.

However most albinos have impaired vision.

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Q.� Why do albinos have eye sight problems

A.� People with albinism always have problems with vision, many are�classified as 'blind'.

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These problems are caused by the abnormal development of the retina and the nerves that connect the brain and the eye due to the lack of pigment. The lack of pigment arrests the development of the retina that normally receives light. This arrested development in turn stunts the normal progression of the nerves that connect the eye with brain.

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Normally the pupil screens light entering the eye, but in albinism the iris light can also pass through the iris. However the iris doesn't have enough pigment to screen out this light. This causes additional sight problems in albinism.

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Do you want to know about a genetic condition Click here to ask a question.

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by Lisa Cardy