These eye problems result from abnormal development
of the eye because of lack of pigment. The retina – the
surface inside the eye that receives light – does not
develop properly before birth and in infancy, so that
vision is not sharp even with corrective lenses. The
nerve signals from the retina to the brain do not follow
the usual nerve routes. The iris – the coloured area in
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the centre of the eye – does not have enough pigment to
screen out stray light coming into the eye. Light
normally enters the eye through the pupil – the dark
opening in the centre of the iris – but in Albinism light
can pass through the iris as well.
Many people with Albinism can and do register as
partially sighted or blind. These terms are medical and
they refer to how much a person is a able to see on an
eye test chart. It is important to remember that the level
of vision which the person with Albinism has is entirely
normal to them