The Effect of Iron as a Potential Inducer of Cataracts

Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness, especially in the developing world. With clean water not always accessible in many third-world countries, the poor quality of water may trigger oxidative stress, a major inducer of cataracts, as demonstrated by previous studies, and one-way oxidation can occur is through Fenton reactions reacting with iron. Perhaps the iron in the untreated water causes oxidation, and this could be a potential cause of cataracts. The objective of the study is to find if the presence of iron ions in drinkable water sources is a contributing factor to cataracts. Pig eyes were soaked in iron solutions and stored under a UV light for 24 hours, simulating human eyes in contact with iron water over a long period, building up oxidative damage. The lenses were then analyzed by comparing the color of the lenses and the change in luminance compared to the control. The results were found to show how iron in water can induce oxidation in the eye due to the Fenton Reaction, leading to cataracts.