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FAQ

This isn't really a list of frequently asked questions, more like a list of frequently stated comments. A lot of people think they know everything there is to know about William, his eyesight, and, of course, they all know exactly what it means to have albinism. People can be completely ignorant sometimes and they don't stop to think how it's affecting others. I'm just starting to learn to laugh at the stupid people out there instead of letting their remarks hurt.

Okay! On with the list... You may notice a lot of my responses include sarcasm - that's just me and my response to ignorance :D

He can't have albinism, he doesn't have red eyes!
Well, suprise, surprise he can! Nah, I wouldn't really say that, usually I reply with something along the lines of "Nobody with albinism has red eyes", sometimes followed by looks of disbelief - as if I'm making it all up... Media Schmedia!
Usually people will throw red eyes into the conversation somewhere when you mention the word 'albino'...

It's ok, glasses will fix his eyesight!
This is another common one, the thing is, he doesn't have a refractive error (which glasses can correct) so at the moment there's no benefit for him to wear glasses. They won't improve his eyesight because the problem is that his retina is not developed properly and he's lacking pigment in his eyes.

He can't be legally blind, he can see!
Yes he can see, but not like people with "normal" vision. He might be able to see that there is a person standing a metre away from him but we've found he can't tell who that person is till the speak or until he gets a lot closer to them. We still don't know exactly what he can and can't see because, well... he's only one and can't really tell us :)

So he can't see because of something you did/didn't do during the pregnancy.
Albinism is genetic, I couldn't have made his eyesight any better by eating hundreds of carrots (another frequently made comment). This one is one of the comments that hurts because it's not only wrong but I feel like I'm being accused of doing something to directly harm my child which I cannot stand! *grrr*

But he doesn't look like an albino.
Okay, you got me, I made it all up for attention! Hehe! See this is where people are wrong, he doesn't look like the albinism stereotype. White hair, pink eyes, can tell the future... All wrong. He looks exactly like a person with albinism because he IS a person with albinism.

Does this mean he's intellectually disabled?
Nope, nope, nope... Nothing is affected except pigment, in his hair, skin and eyes.

His eyes are gorgeous!
Thank you, yes indeed they are *grins!*

Why are his eyes always twitching?
This is called nystagmus, it's involuntary and doesn't need to be stated repeatedly for me to realise "Wow, they really do twitch", followed by "Look, they're still moving" doesn't help the matter.

So he can't go in the sun at all then.
Or he'll melt? No, he needs to be careful in the sun, as we all do nowadays, but the sun won't kill him if he steps into its rays. He actually loves going outside to play, especially to the beach!

Will all his kids have albinism too?
Possibly, but highly unlikely unless his partner also either has the same form of albinism as him or carries a recessive gene for the same form of albinism. Since albinism is recessive, if his future partner doesn't carry it at all it's more like none of his children will have albinism but they will all carry a recessive albinism gene.

If you have more children will they have albinism too?
We're not sure, if he has a form of OCA (Oculocutaneous Albinism) then we have a 25% chance of each future child having albinism, if it's OA (Ocular Albinism) then it's a 50% chance for any sons we have having it and 50% chance that any daughters we have will carry it but not be affected (females can't get OA).

Awww, I'm so sorry.
Don't be, William is happy, healthy and intelligent. Don't feel sorry for us, all you have to do is open your eyes and take a look at William to know that there's nothing to pity here.

Oh, okay... Followed by silence or a quick departure.
Can you believe this is also a very common occurance? This is one of the worse things you can do. Nothing sometimes hurts the most.