Materials and Method: Twenty-four patients with dry ARMD (Group 1), 20 patients with wet ARMD (Group 2) and 25 healthy controls (Group 3) who were followed up at ophthalmology department of Ataturk Training and Research Hospital between November 2014 and April 2015 were included in this study. Diagnosis of ARMD was made by optical coherence tomography and fl uorescein angiography. Serum iron, ferritin, transferrin, total iron binding capacity (TIBC) and hemoglobin level were measured in all patients.

Results: There was no statistically signifi cant difference between groups in terms of sex and age (p=0.06, p=0.45; respectively). The mean serum iron levels were similar in Group 1 (66.4 ± 17.9 ?g/dL) and Group 2 ((80.7 ± 35.8 ?g/dL) (p=0.59) and the higher levels in these groups were statistically signifi cant when compared to Group 3 ((58.2 ± 22.5 ?g/dL) (p=0.01, p=0.02; respectively). The mean serum ferritin levels were higher in Group 2 (104.2 ± 79.2 ng/mL) than Group 1 (74.9 ± 54.2 ng/mL) and Group 3 (55.8 ± 39.8 ng/mL) (p=0.03, p=0.01; respectively). The mean serum ferritin levels were higher in Group 1 when compared to Group 3 (p=0.04). The mean TIBC, serum transferrin and hemoglobin levels were similar among three groups (p=0.68, p=0.29, p=0.09; respectively).

Conclusions: The higher level of serum iron and ferritin levels in ARMD may be related to iron accumulation in retinal tissues due to breakdown of blood-retinal barrier. Further studies are needed to understand the exact role of iron as a source of oxidative stress in ARMD. Keywords : age related macular degeneration; infl ammation; iron metabolism; oxidative stress