Albino FAQ!

Hello hello!

So I thought I'd attempt to quickly answer any and all questions people typically aim at me in regards to the fact that I'm albino. I think it's a really interesting condition, so I really like sharing it!
And in the future, maybe this will clear up some of my weird perspectives on the planet! Also, why I'm naturally nocturnal, hahaha.

Are you really albino? Why aren't your eyes red?
Yes, I am a legit albino. My condition is Oculocutaneous albinism type 1-B. The Wikipedia page is here.

The red-eyed albino thing is actually a bit of a misnomer. You see, if you're 100% colorless (like the type 1-A peeps), then your irises are completely clear. Which means that you can see the blood vessels in the back of the eyes being reflected! Which gives the eyes a pink or even reddish hue. I had a childhood friend whose eyes were mostly clear but had little flecks of blue. So indoors, his eyes looked to be a lovely violet color, but outdoors in bright light, they turned to a bright hot pink color! I was crazy jealous.

(side note: I laughed really hard when I Googled 'albinism' to find that Wikipedia page. At the top of the google listing, it had a disclaimer, "If you have a medical concern, please consult a doctor".
Doctor, I'm concerned that I might be... an ALBINO!!1!
Said no one ever.)

So you're sensitive to the sun?
Yup. Hell yup.
We albino folk are super light sensitive. To the point where they call it photophobia. I'm not happy on sunny days. Even through sunglasses it's still kinda painful. So I've been known to walk into poles or trip on curbs on bright days. Not so great.
Also, since I can't tan, I'm quite the connoisseur of sunblocks. I'm especially paranoid about it, since I know that you can even burn on cloudy days, and I have some albino friends that don't take enough care of their skin, so they just look kinda perma-burned. Not cute. I like being super pale, and like to protect my skin. I'm also a little paranoid of skin cancer, since that is a thing.
So yes, to that girl wearing a cardigan and leggings when it's 80+ degrees out. Haters gonna hate.

So then what are your favorite sunblocks?
Body: Kiss my Face organic spray on sun oil. It's SPF30, and absorbs quickly into the skin leaving no residue. So you can't feel it on after the first few minutes.but my experience has shown that it is in fact working! A+.
Face: Currently I'm in love with stuff called UV Water I got in Japan. It's a spray on facial moisturizer/sunblock that's SPF15, rose-scented, and doesn't clog pores or irritate my eyes. This stuff is liquid magic, and I might be crying myself to sleep when I run out. I might just freaking ship some out from Japan. Like it's that good.

If your eyes are colorless, do you have bad eyesight too?
Yup, that's part of the package. I'm super super nearsighted. Technically I'm "legally low-visioned", which is pretty close to "legally blind", and for all intents and purposes, the same damn thing, since I can't drive, and for a while the state gave me a free bus pass since I literally didn't have the option of driving. That was neat.
This is me being super honest, since I'm finally starting to get over the chip on my shoulder about growing up being treated like I was blind/disabled. My vision really doesn't bother me in the slightest, so it drives me absolutely crazy when people try to help me without being asked, or even worse, pity me.
It's like, if a hawk walked up to you and was like "dude, your vision is TERRIBLE! If only you knew what you were missing!" Hawks are assholes. Don't be that hawk.
I don't care what others can see, because it's not like I've ever experienced that. And I think if you could experience what it was like to be super nearsighted, you'd give it the same resounding 'meh' that I do. It really doesn't matter like people want to think it matters.

Anywho...

So you have albino friends?
Yes! A few. We have conventions every two years. The organization is called NOAH. I went to two conventions when I was a teenager, and it was pretty fun! One was in Sacramento, the other in Vegas. Whoever picks the venues for these things should be shot.

As for my friends, the only one I've been in contact with recently is my evil twin Nicole. When we were little kids, we looked so similar that we would switch clothes and fool our parents! So we've always referred to ourselves as 'twins'. These days, she's 2 inches shorter than me, has her hair short and dyed red, and has a husband and young son. So we've gone pretty different directions, hahaha!

My little sister is also albino, though, and we're really close.

Are your parents albino?
No, and there wasn't even any family history of albinism down the line, so me and my sister were a complete shock! My parents are both naturally brunette, no less. And my mom is pretty tan/olive-skinned naturally, so we look pretty different from our parents. Womp womp.

Do the carpets match the drapes? (hurr hurr hurr)
I hate you.