The hair color of albino individuals can range from platinum white to brown. Additionally, albino individuals who belong to African and Asian continents are more likely to have yellowish, reddish, or brownish hair. However, the hair color of some people may get darker by the time they get into adulthood because of the increased production of melanin in the body. Apart from this, stains from chemicals in hair treatment or due to exposure of hair to certain minerals in the water, as well as the environment, can darken the color of hair in some cases.
The eyelashes and the eyebrows of albino individuals are more likely to be really pale. When it comes to eye color, it usually ranges from light blue to brown. However, the color of the eye may change with age in many cases. Lack of melanin in the irises of the eyes tends to make them translucent. In other words, the iris of someone with albinism will not have to ability to block a lot of the light entering the eye. As a result, such people may exhibit a red-colored iris under certain lighting conditions.
Vision impairment is one of the common and major symptoms in all types of albinism. Some notable vision issues suffered from by albino individuals are listed below.
- Nystagmus, which is characterized by sudden and involuntary back and forth movement of the eyes
- Actions such as tilting the head, narrowing the eyes, etc., to get better vision as well as to reduce involuntary eye movements
- Light sensitivity or photophobia
- Strabismus or the inability of both eyes to concentrate on an object at the same time
- Extreme farsightedness or nearsightedness
- Abnormal development of the retina
- Legal or complete blindness
- Blurred vision caused by the abnormal curvature of the lens inside the eye or the front surface of the eye
- Poor depth perception
- Misrouting of optic nerves or the transit of nerve signals from the retina to the brain via unusual pathways
The type and complexity of symptoms may vary depending on the type of albinism. It is to be noted that there are mainly three types of albinism; oculocutaneous albinism or OCA, ocular albinism, and albinism associated with rare hereditary syndromes. Since most of the symptoms of albinism are very much evident, it is bests to consult a doctor right away when your kid or loved one starts showing one of them. There are many skin and eye care therapies to reduce the complexity of these symptoms. Some changes in the lifestyle as well would help to improve the condition.