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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    What vision problems are associated with albinism?

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    Albinism Congenital & Genetic Conditions
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    Albinism Fellowship of Australia

    The Albinism Fellowship of Australia (AFA) is a national, non-profit organization established in 2005. The AFA is a registered charity. The fellowship is run by … View Profile

    Vision impairment in albinism is multi factorial. Visual acuity in albinism varies greatly, with the average being approximately 6/60. Functional vision is different to vision as recorded on the eye chart. Because people with albinism are born with the vision deficit, they make significant adjustments, using other senses. Functional vision in albinism can vary significantly from day to day because of the influence of lighting conditions, stress and illness. 

    Causes of low vision in albinism include: 
    - under development of the macula (the part of the eye which is for detailed vision)
    - Photophobia - light sensitivity, which is related to lack of pigment in both the iris (coloured part of the eye) and in the retina (back of the eye)
    - Nystagmus- side to side pendular movements of the eyes due to poor macular fixation 
    - Refractive errors - people with albinism almost always are either significantly short or long sighted or a combination of both 
    - Monocular vision - the nerve pathways do not cross in the usual way in people with albinism, so they have poor depth perception and 2D vision 
    - Strabismus (squint)
    - Amblyopia - one dominant eye

    People with albiinsm do not have red or pink eyes. 

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    Thanks

    Albinism Fellowship of Australia

    The Albinism Fellowship of Australia (AFA) is a national, non-profit organization established in 2005. The AFA is a registered charity. The fellowship is run by … View Profile

    Vision impairment in albinism is multi factorial. Visual acuity in albinism varies greatly, with the average being approximately 6/60. Functional vision is different to vision as recorded on the eye chart. Because people with albinism are born with the vision deficit, they make significant adjustments, using other senses. Functional vision in albinism can vary significantly from day to day because of the influence of lighting conditions, stress and illness. 

    Causes of low vision in albinism include: 
    - under development of the macula (the part of the eye which is for detailed vision)
    - Photophobia - light sensitivity, which is related to lack of pigment in both the iris (coloured part of the eye) and in the retina (back of the eye)
    - Nystagmus- side to side pendular movements of the eyes due to poor macular fixation 
    - Refractive errors - people with albinism almost always are either significantly short or long sighted or a combination of both 
    - Monocular vision - the nerve pathways do not cross in the usual way in people with albinism, so they have poor depth perception and 2D vision 
    - Strabismus (squint)
    - Amblyopia - one dominant eye

    People with albiinsm do not have red or pink eyes. 

    Reply to this post
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    Report
    Reply to this post

    You must be a Health Professional to reply to this post. to your account or now (it's free).

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