The eyes can be involved in albinism. The central retina, the fovea, tends to be underdeveloped or hypoplastic. This can limit the childs ultimate visual acuity. The pigmented iris is usually translucent and can be seen to transmit reflected light when viewed through the microscope. Only rarely is the iris truly pink.
Albino children tend to have problems with crossing of the eyes as they grow.
This may relate to an abnormality in the distribution of the nerve fibers from the eye to the brain. Nerve fibers which should cross from one eye to the other side of the brain, do not. If skin pigmentation is involved, the children can be at higher risk for skin cancers. Hermansky-Pudlak can present with abnormal clotting abilities, making the child prone to bleeding and hemorrhage.