Ocular Albinism and its Prevalence in Males

Ocular Hypopigmentation

You may have wondered, what gives us our unique eye color? ‘Iris’ is the part of the eye containing the color pigment, which gives us a beautiful and distinct eye color. In people with OA1, both the iris and retina have little to no pigment, which results in a blue color of the eyes.

Normally, the greater the amount of melanin (color pigment) is present in the iris, the darker the eye color will be, and vice versa. People with the most pigment have black color, and others have a lighter shade, such as brown, green, grey, or blue. The absence of melanin in OA1 results in blue irises. Due to a lack of melanin, the blood vessels in the eyes can become more visible in certain lighting, hence giving the eye a pinkish or red appearance.

Foveal Hypoplasia

Foveal hypoplasia refers to the underdevelopment of the iris and cornea. This leads a person to experience blurry vision, diminished ability of color perception and depth perception, and poor visual quality.

Nystagmus

Nystagmus refers to involuntary, rapid, and repetitive eye movements. People with OA1 have difficulty with uncontrolled eye movement, which may be side to side, up and down, or in a circular motion. This usually affects both eyes.

Strabismus

In a healthy pair of eyes, six muscles control eye movement and point both eyes in the same direction. In contrast to this, eyes with OA1 do not sync together. When you look at a certain object, instead of focusing both eyes on that object, one eye gets turned in a direction different from the other. This condition is also known as crossed eyes.

Nyctalopia

Nyctalopia is the term used for diminished night vision. In other words, people with nyctalopia cannot see properly in a dimly lit or dark surrounding. People who have oculocutaneous albinism tend to have difficulty seeing at night and need assistive devices to help them see.

Photophobia

Photophobia is sensitivity to bright lights. People with eye problems usually experience discomfort in very bright lighting. Sometimes this discomfort can be too much and further reduce a person’s ability to see clear images.