Albinism and Lasik

Albinism itself will normally not exclude a patient from conventional or custom wavefront Lasik, All-Laser Lasik, PRK, LASEK, Epi-Lasik, RLE, P-IOLs or other refractive surgery procedures, however many albinos are affected by nystagmus. It would be an absolute requirement that any laser used would have a tracking system that could adjust to the rapid eye movements of a patient with nystagmus.

Most lasers currently being manufactured for use in the United States use a method of eye tracking that should reduce or eliminate problems related to nystagmus.

If you are ready to choose a doctor to be evaluated for conventional or custom wavefront Lasik, All-Laser Lasik, PRK, LASEK, Epi-Lasik, NearVision CK, RLE, or any refractive surgery procedure, we highly recommend you consider a doctor who has been evaluated and certified by the USAEyes nonprofit organization. Locate a USAEyes Evaluated & Certified Lasik Laser Eye Surgeon.

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Current Albinism Medical Journal News...

Comprehensive Analysis of Oculocutaneous Albinism among Non-Hispanic Caucasians Shows that OCA1 Is the Most Prevalent OCA Type.

Related Articles

Comprehensive Analysis of Oculocutaneous Albinism among Non-Hispanic Caucasians Shows that OCA1 Is the Most Prevalent OCA Type.

J Invest Dermatol. 2008 May 8;

Authors: Hutton SM, Spritz RA

Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) is a genetically heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by absent or reduced pigmentation of the skin, hair, and eyes. In humans, four genes have been associated with "classical" OCA and another 12 genes with syndromic forms of OCA. To assess the prevalence of different forms of OCA and different gene mutations among non-Hispanic Caucasian patients, we performed DNA sequence analysis of the four genes associated with "classical" OCA (TYR, OCA2, TYRP1, SLC45A2), the two principal genes associated with syndromic OCA (HPS1, HPS4), and a candidate OCA gene (SILV), in 121 unrelated, unselected non-Hispanic/Latino Caucasian patients carrying the clinical diagnosis of OCA. We identified apparent pathologic TYR gene mutations in 69% of patients, OCA2 mutations in 18%, SLC45A2 mutations in 6%, and no apparent pathological mutations in 7% of patients. We found no mutations of TYRP1, HPS1, HPS4, or SILV in any patients. Although we observed a diversity of mutations for each gene, a relatively small number of different mutant alleles account for a majority of the total. This study demonstrates that, contrary to long-held clinical lore, OCA1, not OCA2, is by far the most frequent cause of OCA among Caucasian patients.Journal of Investigative Dermatology advance online publication, 8 May 2008; doi:10.1038/jid.2008.109.

PMID: 18463683 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]