Individuals with albinism have reduced levels of melanin – the pigment answerable for the coloration of hair, skin and eyes – and ceaselessly experience impaired eyesight. A study, conducted by the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, offers recent insights into the causative aspects of this condition.
The prevalence of albinism varies across populations. While it affects about one in 20,000 people in Europe, albinism is more common in certain groups, where it impacts one in 1,000 individuals. About one in every 18,000 to twenty,000 people within the U.S. has some form of albinism.
Along with the noticeable changes in appearance, individuals with albinism often face difficulties of their vision. They won’t see things as clearly as others. This happens partly because their eyes move involuntarily, a condition generally known as “pendular nystagmus.” Consequently, they find it difficult not only to see clearly, but in addition to keep up proper eye contact while conversing with others.
Pendular nystagmus is a bit like what our eyes do after we look out of a train window while it’s moving. Our eyes follow the moving view after which come back to their normal position. Inside our brains, there is a small area that responds to this eye movement. In regular cases, this makes our eye muscles tighten up to maintain the view regular. But in albinism, this process works differently.
Researchers, who conducted a study on albino mice, found a brain area answerable for stabilizing images that, when malfunctioning, results in conditions like pendular nystagmus — a disorder causing uncontrolled eye movements.
While surgical solutions aren’t currently viable, the result offers hope for the long run. Manipulating activity on this brain region could potentially reduce pendular nystagmus, providing relief to those affected by the disorder.
“We show that the nucleus of the optic tract may be the source of the issue. Previous research already suggested that this area is involved in eye movements, nevertheless it couldn’t be ruled out that (also) other areas, resembling the cortex, cause pendular nystagmus. By concurrently measuring each the cortex and the nucleus of the optic tract in the identical mice, we were in a position to eliminate this query,” said Jorrit Montijn, a researcher related to the study.
“We now know that there’s something flawed with this area, but we still do not know what could be done about it. The following step could be to translate this into practice. One possible option might be Deep Brain Stimulation of the realm, but this still must be tested, and it isn’t known if it has an effect. Another choice is probably surgery and even gene therapy in the long run. It’s now as much as more clinically oriented scientists to research this,” Montijn added.
Other symptoms
- Involuntary eye movements
- Sensitivity to vibrant lights
- Problems with depth perception
- “Lazy eye” syndrome or reduced vision in a single eye
Find out how to cope with the condition
Using bifocal glasses, reading glasses or contact lenses can improve vision. Handheld magnifiers are useful too. Changing indoor lighting by putting the sunshine behind the shoulder may also help people see higher.
Published by Medicaldaily.com