Too Much Iron Linked to Neurodegeneration and Glaucoma

Reducing iron can restore homeostasis and mitigate iron-related neurodegeneration in glaucoma, researchers say. Photo: James Fanelli, OD. Click image to enlarge. Excessive iron buildup affects multiple organs and the central nervous system. Also known as iron overload, it causes oxidative stress and drives ferroptosis, a type of regulated cell death that plays a pathogenic role in neurodegenerative conditions. Some studies suggest that iron overload may play a role in glaucoma development too by inducing retinal ganglion cell loss and damaging the trabecular meshwork. To explore this, researchers in China examined a multinational cohort from the TriNetX database. They found that iron overload likely increases glaucoma risk.In the retrospective study, the researchers classified patients 40 and older without prior glaucoma into iron overload and non-iron overload groups. They applied propensity score matching to balance factors such as demographics, comorbidities and medication use.Their analysis showed that of the 63,577 matched pairs, iron overload was significantly linked to an increased risk of ocular hypertension and primary open-angle glaucoma. Further analyses showed consistent associations for age, sex and cormorbidity subgroups.Systemic iron dysregulation is a “contributor to glaucoma pathogenesis,” the researchers stated in their paper. “Screening and iron overload-targeted therapies, such as iron chelation or antioxidants, may offer neuroprotection in high-risk individuals.”Click here for the journal source. Tsai C, Tsai C, Weng C, et al. Association between iron overload and the risk of ocular hypertension, primary open-angle glaucoma, and normal-tension glaucoma. TVST 2025. [Epub ahead of print]. This article was developed by the editorial staff in conjunction with experts in the field. In the process, AI may have been among the editorial tools used to meet the goals of human editors, who approved all content.