People with Albinism
About 1 in every 17,000 people have Albinism
People with Albinism fail to produce enough melanin
Melanin’s role on protecting us from ultraviolet light is understood but it also helps in the development of the retina and brain and other interconnections
Many are legally blind- but most use their vision for reading and do not use Braille
Even though most people with Albinism and have low vision some still have good enough vision to drive a car
Oculocutaneous albinism involves the eyes, hair, and skin
Ocular albinism primarily involves the eyes, while skin and hair may appear similar or slightly lighter than that of other family members
There are only 2 known albino gorillas. One of them-
Snowflake was born in 1966 and died in 2003. There is a bit of controversy over if he was a true albino gorilla but it was said by one of the veterinarians at the Barcelona Zoo confirmed that he had oculocutaneous albinism or the equivalent to Type I-B or yellow albinism in human beings
Snowflake sired over 20 normal dark haired gorillas, though most of them died
The only other white albino gorilla was in the wild with its mother, but soon the baby vanished and was presumed dead
Albinism is inherited from the parents, and only if both the mother and father have the gene
The gene for albinism is recessive
Tribes in Africa thought that someone with albinism was a sign of bad luck and would shun the person
People with albinism often have astigmatism
There are no tests that doctors can do to find out if a child will have albinism because the change is not in the same place each time.
The eye problems develop from the lack of pigment in the eyes. The retina doesn’t develop properly, and the nerve signals from the eye to the brain don’t follow the usual path. The iris also doesn’t have enough pigment to keep out stray light, so light can enter from the retina also.
Treatment for the eye conditions
People with Albinism fail to produce enough melanin
Melanin’s role on protecting us from ultraviolet light is understood but it also helps in the development of the retina and brain and other interconnections
Many are legally blind- but most use their vision for reading and do not use Braille
Even though most people with Albinism and have low vision some still have good enough vision to drive a car
Oculocutaneous albinism involves the eyes, hair, and skin
Ocular albinism primarily involves the eyes, while skin and hair may appear similar or slightly lighter than that of other family members
There are only 2 known albino gorillas. One of them-
Snowflake was born in 1966 and died in 2003. There is a bit of controversy over if he was a true albino gorilla but it was said by one of the veterinarians at the Barcelona Zoo confirmed that he had oculocutaneous albinism or the equivalent to Type I-B or yellow albinism in human beings
Snowflake sired over 20 normal dark haired gorillas, though most of them died
The only other white albino gorilla was in the wild with its mother, but soon the baby vanished and was presumed dead
Albinism is inherited from the parents, and only if both the mother and father have the gene
The gene for albinism is recessive
Tribes in Africa thought that someone with albinism was a sign of bad luck and would shun the person
People with albinism often have astigmatism
There are no tests that doctors can do to find out if a child will have albinism because the change is not in the same place each time.
The eye problems develop from the lack of pigment in the eyes. The retina doesn’t develop properly, and the nerve signals from the eye to the brain don’t follow the usual path. The iris also doesn’t have enough pigment to keep out stray light, so light can enter from the retina also.
Treatment for the eye conditions