Albinism is a genetic disorder that is inherited from at least one parent. Although it creates changes in a person’s appearance, albinism doesn’t have any negative health effects in a majority of cases. People with albinism are just as normal as anyone else. They just typically have skin and hair colors that are unusually light. Here are some interesting facts to consider about this disease that affects about 1 out of every 17,000 people on the planet today.
1. It Can Cause Eye Problems
Although albinism is one of the safest genetic disorders that someone can have, it does have the ability to cause certain problems. The most common issue is one that affects eyesight, which is called ocular albinism. Certain types of the ocular version of albinism are passed from mother to son and can be serious enough to cause legal blindness. Even if malfunctions are not present, the lack of pigmentation in the eye creates a great sensitivity to light and an abnormal development of the retina.
2. Anyone Can Have Albinism
Albinism typically occurs when one of a child’s parents sends the genes along during the life creation process. It is entirely possible, however, for two parents to have a child with albinism even if there isn’t a history of the disorder in the family structure on either side thanks to gene mutations.
3. Albinism and Sun Don’t Mix
The “white” appearance that comes from albinism is due to a lack of melanin. Although people don’t need to have melanin in order to survive, a shortage of it can cause problems because it helps to protect the skin from the UVA and UVB from the sun’s rays. This means that someone who has albinism is twice as likely to get a sunburn, even on cool days, than someone with more normal levels of melanin. This also means that people with albinism have a higher risk of developing skin cancer.
4. Albinism Happens Everywhere
Albinism is a genetic mutation that can occur in every living thing on the planet today. It can even be found in plants, but this is problematic since this also affects the level of photosynthetic pigments that a plant may have and cause an early death for it. Animals with albinism also exist and face the same struggles with eyesight that humans do. Having a diminished sharpness in what is seen is very common and sometimes uncontrollable eye movements may occur in people with this genetic mutation.
5. It Is Often Untreatable
People with albinism often don’t have a treatment option for their condition. Eye problems may be corrected through surgery and skin problems can be treated by consistent applications of sun block and other protecting items. The good news is that the health conditions that are present in albinism do not get worse over time. It doesn’t change the life expectancy of someone or the quality of life, beyond needing to pay for more moisturizers or sunscreens.