Albinos receive glasses from UK charity
Published:Friday | July 15, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Dalton Laing, Westmoreland
SHEFFIELD, Westmoreland:
FIVE ALBINOS of Sheffield in Westmoreland were fitted with eyeglasses, courtesy of a charity organisation, JamUK, in collaboration with Broadbent Vision Care Centre Jamaica Ltd.
One of the directors of JamUK, Conrad Cummings, said when he found the albinos he contacted Broadbent immediately, and they hopped on board in support of the cause.
Cummings used the Sheffield Community Centre as the choiced location to do the presentation recently, during the half-time break of a football competition, which he also sponsored. The games are played Sunday nights and attract an average crowd of close to 2,000 persons.
One of the six beneficiaries did not to show up for her eyeglasses, as she is said to be shy, and often the subject of ridicule because of her condition. It is in that regard that a sensitisation programme is being developed to let persons understand what albinism is, and how persons with the condition should be treated.
Ketisha Hylton, one of the recipients of a pair of spectacles, said she had problems seeing in the sunlight, and her eyes are watery and foggy. "Everything is so clear now," she said when she tried on her new glasses, which has a detachable sunshade.
Albinism is a defect of melanin production that results in little or no colour or pigment in the skin, hair and eyes. It occurs when one of several genetic defects makes the body unable to produce or distribute melanin, a natural substance that gives colour to the hair, skin, and iris. The defects may be passed down through families.
There are two main types of albinism. One is caused by defects that affect production of the pigment, melanin, and the other is due to a defect in the 'P' gene. People with this type have slight colouring at birth.
Treatment for albinism involves protecting the skin and eyes from the sun. Glasses are often prescribed to correct vision problems and eye position. Eye muscle surgery is sometimes recommended to correct an abnormal eye movement, which is one of the symptoms.