An albino is a person who has white hair, white skin, and pink eyes due to little or no pigmentation in the iris of their eyes from birth. Albino person In adults, the retinas of the eyes are less protected than in individuals with normal pigmentation, causing them to be more sensitive to sunlight or bright light.
Albinism occurs due to the deficiency or malfunction of one or more enzymes needed to produce the body's melanin pigment. Melanin is the pigment that determines hair, skin, and eye color and also provides protection against sunlight.
Albino person, should avoid exposure to sunlight, as they have a higher risk of developing skin cancer. Also, albino person,may experience vision problems resulting from optic nerve developmental disorders.
Albinism is a genetic disorder that comes in different types. Types of albinism include:
1. Ocular Albinism: This type of albinism affects pigmentation only in the eyes. Skin and hair color are normal. Ocular albinism is caused by a gene mutation on the X chromosome and is more common in males.
2. Oculocutaneous Albinism: This type of albinism affects both eye and skin pigmentation. Individuals have low pigmentation in their skin, hair, and eyes. This type of albinism can be caused by various gene mutations.
3. Chediak-Higashi Syndrome: This rare genetic disease causes immune system dysfunction along with albinism.
4. Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome: This type of albinism also leads to other health problems that increase the risk of bleeding disorders, lung disease, and colon cancer.
While there are some differences between these types, they essentially all have the characteristics of albinism, which results from a lack or dysfunction of melanin pigmentation.
However, albinism is not usually a serious health problem and albino person can generally lead a normal life.
