Albinism is an inherited condition that leads to someone having very light skin, hair, and eyes because they have less melanin than usual in their body. Melanin is a chemical in the body that determines the color of skin, hair, and eyes. Different types of albinism can occur, based mainly on which gene change caused the disorder. The gene change may result in no melanin at all or a big decrease in the amount of melanin. Albinism is caused by mutations in specific genes that are responsible for melanin production. For most types of albinism, both parents must carry the gene in order for their child to develop the condition. Most people with albinism have parents who are only carriers of the gene and don’t have symptoms of the condition.