Q. Vitiligo is mainly a skin disorder, but can it also harm my eyesight?

A. Ordinarily not, but in some unusual cases, yes, according to Dr. Christopher E. Starr, director of the Refractive Surgery Service at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Vitiligo (vit-uh-LYE-go) is an autoimmune disease in which the melanocytes, the body’s pigmented cells, are targeted and destroyed.

“Our eyes also have a large number of pigmented cells, primarily in the iris and retina, and thus eyes can be another target in the inflammatory process that causes vitiligo,” Dr. Starr explained.

The most common eye effect, seen in about 30 to 40 percent of patients, is loss of pigment in the cell layer just outside the retina, called the retinal pigment epithelium, and the attached layer, called the choroid, where blood vessels nourish the retina. Usually, however, this does not have a significant effect on vision.