Albino Hamster eyes changing

Question
Hi, Our albino dwarf hamster that we purchased a year ago from a pet store has red eyes. My daughter noticed recently that her eyes seem to be getting white. Is the hamster going blind? Is that normal for an albino hamster? I've had a gerbil as a child and this never happened to him so we were wondering if there is something that we could do to prevent this. The hamster seems to behave as if she can still see, and other than the change in the eyes, she acts as if she is fine.  Thank you  

Answer
Dear Susan,
thank you for your question.
Dwarf hamsters often develope cataracts, especially when they are older. This is often linked to a diet too high in sugar (they are prone to diabetes, too), but it may have other reasons. If you have been feeding the hamster fruit and treats with sugar, I recommend leaving them out now, they are not part of their natural diet at all and should be avoided. Vegetables low in fructose and leafy greens in particular can be offered. Here's a list of vegetables with high amounts of fructose:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit_sugar#Food_sources

Usually the hamster is fine with loosing his sight, they don't rely much on it anyway. You should avoid moving things around in the cage too much, though, so that he always knows where everything is.
I would still recommend a vet visit to make sure that there aren't any other problems. you can find good rodent vets here:
http://www.gerbils.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/gerbils/vets.htm
http://gerbilforum.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=vet
I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer