INSIGHT: ‘People with albinism need legal protection’
In humans, there are two principal types of albinism, oculocutaneous, affecting the eyes, skin and hair, and ocular affecting the eyes only.
What you need to know:
In humans, there are two principal types of albinism, oculocutaneous, affecting the eyes, skin and hair, and ocular affecting the eyes only. Most people with oculocutaenous albinism appear white or very pale as the melanin pigments responsible for brown, black, and some yellow colorations are not present.
Ocular albinism results in pale blue eyes, and may require genetic testing to diagnose. Because individuals with albinism have skin that entirely lacks the dark pigment melanin, which helps protect the skin from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, their skin can burn more easily from overexposure. The human eye normally produces enough pigment to colour the iris blue, green or brown and lend opacity to the eye. However, there are cases in which the eyes of an albinistic person appear red, pink or purple.
