Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Oct 14, 2025 2 hours, 42 minutes ago
Medical News:
Iron, the Unsuspected Factor Behind Failing Eyesight
A new medical review from scientists at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University warns that one of the body’s most common minerals—iron—could secretly be damaging millions of people’s eyes. Long believed to be beneficial, iron actually has a dark side when its balance in the body is disrupted. Too much or too little can harm delicate eye tissues, accelerate aging in the retina, and even lead to blindness. This
Medical News report reveals how a simple nutrient imbalance could silently destroy vision over time.
Hidden Iron Imbalance Could Be Silently Destroying Your Vision
When Iron Turns from Essential to Dangerous
The researchers explain that while iron is crucial for producing energy and maintaining healthy vision, excess iron transforms into a potent oxidant. It triggers the production of reactive oxygen species—unstable molecules that attack cells in the retina, lens, and optic nerve. This oxidative stress causes inflammation, disrupts the eye’s protective barriers, and leads to the death of light-sensitive cells.
Iron overload is now linked to a range of blinding conditions, including age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. People with hereditary disorders such as hemochromatosis or aceruloplasminemia can unknowingly accumulate large amounts of iron in the retina, causing irreversible damage. Animal studies also confirmed that even moderate iron buildup damages retinal pigment cells and blood vessels, while chelation therapy that removes excess iron helps restore some visual function.
The Other Extreme Iron Deficiency and Vision Damage
On the opposite end of the spectrum, iron deficiency quietly weakens the eyes by depriving them of oxygen and energy. It can lead to a condition known as anemic retinopathy, which causes bleeding in the retina and blurry vision. People with long-term anemia often show thinning of the optic nerve and changes in blood vessel structure, which can reduce eyesight.
Pregnant women with iron deficiency face added risks, as low iron levels are linked to retinopathy of prematurity in infants. Even mild deficiencies can make the eyes more vulnerable to oxidative stress and slow down cellular repair. Researchers found that both extremes—overload and deficiency—disrupt mitochondrial activity in the retina, affecting how eyes process light and recover from injury.
The Eye’s Hidden Iron Defense System
The eye maintains its own iron-regulating system using proteins such as ferritin, hepcidin, and transferrin. These control how iron is stored, transported, and released. When inflammation, disease, or genetics disturb this system, oxidative damage quickly follows. The scientists noted that antioxidant compounds and iron-chelating drugs could protect the retina by reducing iron-induced stress. However, current chelation dr
ugs like deferoxamine carry side effects, including potential retinal toxicity, highlighting the urgent need for safer eye-targeted treatments.
Protecting Your Eyes Through Balance
The study concludes that maintaining a healthy iron balance is vital for lifelong eye health. Both iron overload and deficiency can gradually destroy the retina’s structure and lead to irreversible vision loss. The researchers recommend regular monitoring of iron levels in individuals with diabetes, anemia, or inherited metabolic disorders, and stress the importance of early diagnosis before irreversible eye damage occurs. With further research, balancing iron may one day become a key strategy in preventing age-related blindness and protecting global eye health.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Nutrients.
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/17/18/2964
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/ophthalmology-(eye-diseases)
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/glaucoma-news
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