Facts about Albinism

We have had several people inquire about Lukas' conditions. He has albinism.

Simply put, albinism means that a person lacks skin color.

~~It is genetically inherited.
~~Children with albinism can have very white skin, light colored hair and their eyes can appear red, pink, dull grey, light blue or light brown.
~~Hair color can be snowy white to reddish brown.
~~Children with albinism generally suffer few physical effects of the condition outside of vision problems and skin that is prone to sunburn. Remember, every case is unique. There can be exceptional side effects.
~~They experience normal physical and intellectual development.

Challenges:

~~Because of the low levels of pigment in the eyes, children with albinism can be sensitive to light. Wearing sunglasses, even indoors, can help alleviate this discomfort.
~~It is common for children with albinism to have extreme farsightedness, nearsightedness or astigmatism. Corrective lenses can help improve these vision problems but often, the defect is so severe that problems persist even with glasses or contact lenses.
~~An experienced optometrist can usually improve the overall vision of a child with albinism, but the vision problems cannot be completely eradicated.

Treatment

There is no “cure” for Albinism.
Children born with this condition go on to live happy, healthy lives


And please remember this: Every child is a gift...no matter how they come to us.

Vicki