What the heck is albinism?

The word "albinism" refers to a group of inherited conditions. People with albinism have little or no pigment in their eyes, skin, or hair. They have inherited genes that do not make the usual amounts of a pigment called melanin. People with albinism always have problems with vision, and many have low vision. Many are "legally blind," but most use their vision for reading, and do not use braille. Some have vision good enough to drive a car.
Vision problems in albinism result from abnormal development of the retina and abnormal patterns of nerve connections between the eye and the brain. It is the presence of these eye problems that defines the diagnosis of albinism. Therefore the main test for albinism is simply an eye exam. For more information on albinism please visit NOAH (National Organization forAlbinism and Hypopigmentation) at http://www.albinism.org/.

So as far as Cotton is concerned, he seems to have "OK" vision. Being that he is non verbal, it is really hard to tell exactly what his vision is. He can identify letters, shapes, colors etc. He also uses PECS to communicate, and so I usually just say that his vision is "functional". There is nothing that he can not do at this point. Typically people with albinism are just like everyone else, however, Cotton's co occurring condition of autism makes him extra special. So, Cotton wears glasses, lots of sunscreen, and a hat to block out glare (people with albinism are very photo sensitive.) Other than that I honestly don't think too much about his albinism.... I am a little jealous of his beautiful White hair, however:)