Conditions
Albinism
Albinism is a rare condition where the body doesn’t produce a normal level of melanin (skin pigment). This normally results in very pale skin, hair and eyes, though the symptoms can vary from person to person. Other symptoms include a sensitivity to light, poor eyesight and an involuntary sideways movement of the eyeballs, called nystagmus. The condition is caused by a recessive gene, that if carried by both parents can result in albinism. The condition does not get worse, and whilst sufferers are at higher risk of suffering from conditions such as skin cancer, they should otherwise have a normal life expectancy. Treatment options are limited to improving the individual symptoms, such as glasses and contacts lenses to correct some of the vision problems, and high quantities of sun block to help protect the skin.
Comments and Questions
You can share your experiences and thoughts with other Embarrassing Bodies site-users below. Comments & Questions are reviewed by moderators, but if you see anything on the site that worries you, please report it and one of our moderators will look at it as soon as possible.
Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.
Important Notice
The information provided on this website (including any NHS Choices medical information) is for use as information or for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical care by a qualified doctor or other qualified healthcare professional. We do not warrant that any information included within this site will meet your health or medical requirements. This Embarrassing Bodies site does not provide any medical or diagnostic services so you should always check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.
If you want to embed our videos in your site, read our embedding T&Cs here
I suffer from this condition, but my parents are both white and there are no traces in my family or black skinned people, they think that it may be a twisted gene somewhere along the line but i am awaiting to apply for a genetic testing to find out which type of albinism i have! so im quite excited for that :)! I've been for various tests at Great Ormand Street Hospital in London but they still cant confirm anything so i have to wait until i turn 16 (this year!!) until i can find out more! but getting back to my point, i know exactly what you mean by going in the sun, i actually have to wear prescribed suncream from the doctors that you cant get off the shelf! and involving the eyes, it makes me feel very self conscious because i dont know when im doing it and i just fear that they think im rolling my eyes at them of some sort! and then recently ive been warned that it could effect my driving ability when i turn 17!, but hopefully i will be able to do that! so i relate to you in alot of ways via the fact your parents are origin on black!
Reply to this comment Report this as offensive
My father was an albino as were one brother and one sister, the other 4 children were dark haired. My father had very bad eyesite and hearing but always worked from the age of 14 and was still working the day he had his stroke from which he passed away. My brother and I didn't inherit the albinism but my eye lashes are almost invisible as are my eyebrows. My daughters are aware of this in the family one has three children the other two but none are albino.
In reply to A Report this as offensive
I have albinism there is no history of it in my family. I'm 19 now and when I was born my parents were only young themselves so didn't know anything about it. I would use the word 'suffer' to describe it though it's not what you asked for but you have so just have to deal with it because whatever happens there is no changing who you are. After all everybody is fealty things in life that they don't want but albinism is with you for the duration so might as well embrace it :)
In reply to A Report this as offensive