Facts and myths about albinism.

[Julia1996]

Hi everyone. I know most people don't know a lot about albinism so I thought I would share some stuff about it with you and share some totally stupid questions I've been asked.

Albinism is caused by a defect in the genes that produce melanin. Melanin is what gives your skin hair and eyes color. Both parents have to carry the defective gene to have an albino child. But even if 2 people have the gene it's not guaranteed they will have an albino child. My older brother is totally normal.

Albinos have pink or red eyes. That's not true even though it looks like we do sometimes. Albino eyes are not actually red. It looks that way in some of us because our iris doesn't have a lot of pigment so the blood vessels in the eyes are reflected and it looks like the eyes are red. Its the same thing as red eye in a camera flash. Except in an albino it doesn't take such intense light to make the red eye effect. Because of the way our eyes reflect light sometimes we can have an effect like eyeshine. Our eyes in some light can look like they are glowing. And yeah, it can freak people out. Eye color in albino people is as different as eye color among all people. Our eye colors are just a little different than most people. It's hard to describe my eye color. It's kind of like a whitish blue with some violet . My eyes also look different in different kinds of light.

We can go outside in daylight but we have to be careful. Our skin has no melanin so it has no protection from sunlight. We can get skin cancer very easily. I've had people ask me why I don't lay out or go in a tanning bed. No melanin means no tan. Ever. All laying out would do is horribly burn my skin.

Sunlight doesn't blind me. My eyes are light sensitive but with sunglasses I can see just fine in sunlight. I also have actually had a couple of people ask me if I can see in the dark. Wait, what?? Lol.  Maybe because of my strange eyecolor or eyeshine they thought I could see in the dark like cats. No I don't see in the dark any better than anyone else. Lol

Do albinos like the cold. Yeah someone asked me that. Maybe the white hair and skin gave him the snowqueen idea or something but no albinos don't tolerate cold any better than anyone else. In fact I hate the cold!

Someone asked me if I glow in blacklight. I've never been in blacklight but since white things glow in it I guess I probably would.

My pubic hair. I actually get asked if I have white pubic hair a lot. Lol. Yes it's as snow white as the hair on my head. I've even had a couple of people ask if they can see it! Really?? Get the hell away from me. Lol

Can African Americans be albino? Totally they can. Any race can have albinism.

No there is no cure for albanisim.

If you have a question you want to ask me please feel free. I don't get offended by questions.
Hugs,
Julia.

[Jennifer RachaelAnn]

I went to school with a boy and his sister who were both albino. They didn't have to put up with a lot of bull, as they were both fairly popular. One day tho, he showed up at school as red as a stop sign. People were staring, shocked at the change in him. It turns out, he had mowed the yard the day before. It had been an overcast day so he thought he would be all right, but he got screwed in the end.

With seeing in sunlight I probably have more problems than a good deal of albino people. Ever heard of someone being night-blind? I'm the exact opposite. I'm day-blind. If I don't have heavy duty sunglasses, practically welders glasses, I can't be out in the sun, because I can't see. The light burns my eyes like fire. On really sunny days, if I have a doctors appointment or something my wife has to take off work to take me there and home, because I physically can't see to drive. It's hell, but there's not much I can do about it. I kinda feel like Riddick sometimes.

I know people can get creeped out by different things like albinism but it never bothered me. The only way I can think of that someone who is albino would creep me out, is if the person had a booger the size of a baseball in their nose or on their face. YUCK!

[Laurie]

Hi again Julia,

  I for one am fascinated by Albinism. I have never met a person afflicted by it much to my dismay. Yesterday I mentioned I have been a toe head blond all my life. I an also fairly light skinned and between the two I was periodically accused by the other kids of being albino. I have lived in southern Calif and Hawaii most of my childhood and in the LA area for 18 years. If I got in the sun I typically burned a bright red then peeled it all off a couple days later w/o leaving a tan. As a kid my ears and nose were constantly blistered in the summer.
  Like most light skinned people my best defense from the sun is a hat, long sleeved shirt and long pants. (Skirt would have been cooler) . I am a white person. a blindingly white person if I take off my pants and shirt in the sunlight. My legs and torso seldom see the light of day.  I' don't think far above you in skin color Julia.

   Thanks for the information.

Hugs,
   Laurie