Abstract

MOLINA MONTOYA, Nancy Piedad. OCULOCUTANEOUS ALBINISM: VISUAL AND OCULAR ALTERATIONS AND OPTOMETRIC MANAGEMENTE. Investig. andina [online]. 2011, vol.13, n.23, pp.324-337. ISSN 0124-8146.

Introduction: the oculocutaneous albinism is a group of autosomic recessive disorders related to the failure in the melanin biosynthesis characterized by a generalized reduction in pigmentation of hair, skin and eyes. This article summarizes visual and ocular vision alterations and rehabilitation principles in these patients. Methods: a systematic review was made in PUBMED with MeSH Terms "oculocutaneous albinism", "refractive error", "visual and ocular alterations", "low vision" y "retina". 41 articles were selected by their coherence with the purpose of the article. Results: four types of Albinism have been identified, with an approximate general prevalence of 1:17.000. The visual and ocular alterations are: reduced visual acuteness, photophobia, nistagmus, strabismus, high refractive error, lack of pigmentation or iris translucency, photophobia, fovea hypoplasia of variable degree, misrouting of the optical nerve fibers and low stereopsis among others. The visual managementfor the albino patients implies the correction of refractive error, the decrease of the photophobia and dazzle and the professional adjustment of low vision aids, taking into account the needs and expectations of the patient. Conclusions: it is very important for the optometrist to be aware of the appropriate handling and timely referral of these patients, given the visual and ocular anomalies related to albinism.

Keywords : Albinism; Low Vision; Visual Acuity.

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