albinismArticle Free Pass albinism, (from the Latin albus,
meaning “white”), hereditary condition characterized by the
absence of pigment in the eyes, skin, hair, scales, or feathers.
Albino animals rarely survive in the wild because they lack the
pigments that normally provide protective coloration and screen
against the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Two major types of albinism
are recognized in humans: oculocutaneous albinism, which affects
the skin, hair, and eyes and is subdivided into four main types
(designated OCA1 through OCA4), and ocular albinism, which
affects only the eyes and occurs most commonly in a form known
as Nettleship-Falls syndrome (or OA1). Individuals with
oculocutaneous albinism have milk-white skin and hair, though
the skin may be slightly pinkish in colour owing to underlying
blood vessels. Affected persons sunburn very easily and are thus
more susceptible to skin cancers. In both oculocutaneous and
ocular albinism, the iris of the eye typically appears pink,
while the pupil itself appear