Albinism - Treatment

How can Albinism be Treated?

There is no cure for albinism. Treatment is aimed to ease the symptoms and it depends on the extent of the disorder. Treatment of the eye conditions consists of visual rehabilitation.

It is vital that people with albinism, use sunscreen when exposed to sunlight to prevent premature skin aging or skin cancer. Special UV-proof clothing and swimsuits are available and are a good alternative to excessive use of sunscreen.

Visual Rehabilitation-

• Optometrists or ophthalmologists recommend various optical aids. Young children may simply need glasses. Older children can sometimes benefit from bifocal glasses.
• The most promising treatment for nystagmus is the eye muscle surgery that reduces the movement of the eyes but vision may not improve in all cases due to other associated eye abnormalities.

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• For photophobia the eye doctors prescribe dark glasses that shield the eyes from bright light.
• In case of strabismus, ophthalmologists prefer to treat the infants at the age of six months before the function of their eyes has developed fully. They may recommend that parents patch one eye to promote the use of the non-preferred eye.