Objective: To investigate the feasibility of establishing an early-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD) model in C57BL/6J mice using low-dose sodium iodate (NaIO?).Methods: 24 nine-week-old specific pathogen-free (SPF) male C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to four groups (n=6/group): control, 10 mg/kg NaIO?, 15 mg/kg NaIO?, and 20 mg/kg NaIO?. Injury groups received a single intraperitoneal injection of NaIO?, while controls received sterile phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). At 1, 2, and 4 weeks post-injection, two mice per group were euthanized for bilateral eyeball enucleation. Retinal morphology was assessed using hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining of paraffin-embedded sections.Results: With the increase of sodium iodate concentration and the prolongation of treatment time, the structure of mouse retinal tissue gradually loosened, the nerve fiber layer (NFL) gradually shrank and became thinner (P < 0.05), and ganglion cell layer (GCL) cells and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells gradually decreased (P < 0.05). As the concentration of sodium iodate gradually increased to 20 mg/kg and the treatment time was extended to 2 weeks, irregular deposits were observed beneath the mouse RPE layer.Conclusion: Low-dose NaIO? effectively induces early AMD-like pathology in mice, supporting its utility for mechanistic studies.