Informative Essay On Albinism

610 Words2 Pages

Having very pale and white skin is a dream for some people, but there are others that experience being born with their pale-colored skin due to a medical condition called albinism.

What you need to know about albinism
Albinism is caused by the lack of a usual color pigment in our body that is responsible for producing a sufficient amount of melanin – the chemical responsible for making our skin darker and more protected against harmful UV rays in the sunlight. Albinism can affect a person regardless of their race and gender and will cause either an extremely pale color of the eyes and skin coupled with white hair (oculoctaneous) or, in some cases, a greater coloration of the hair, eyes, and skin.

Aside from possible problems in their eyesight and a different pigmentation of their …show more content…

There are cases wherein Albinism affects only the eyes, leading to what is known as ocular albinism. In this case, the eyes become blue or pink. There are also rare cases wherein the hearing nerves are affected due to albinism, and can eventually lead to partial or complete deafness.

Special attention is needed for people with albino eyes as they have poorer eyesight caused by eye problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. There isn’t a threat of being completely blind due to albinism, but more serious cases only allow people with albinism to read larger prints of text. Those with albino eyes can also be sensitive to light due to the pigmentation of their iris, causing them to be unable to see when levels of light are high.

Albinism: Causes and Complications
The main cause of albinism is the lack of melanin in the body due to the insufficient protein produced to trigger its production. Melanocytes are the cells responsible for the production of melanin, but gene mutation and other hormonal imbalances can cause these cells to malfunction. In turn, albinism causes paler color because of the lack of melanin in the

More about Informative Essay On Albinism

Open Document