Space station astronauts study the effects of space on eye health

Russian astronaut Oleg Kononenko announced that the astronauts on board the International Space Station are conducting medical studies to find out the effects of space flights on eye health.

Regarding the topic, the astronaut said: “The astronauts on the International Space Station conducted ultrasound examinations to verify the health of the eyes. One of the tasks of space medicine is to study the effect of long-term spaceflight factors on the physiology of the human sensory visual system, and we astronauts are conducting a special study of the device.” Vision on board the International Space Station in a state of weightlessness, relying on modern, high-precision diagnostic devices that allow us to record the state of the fundus of the eye during spaceflights.”

He added: "We have found through studies that the astronauts who were examined have structural defects in the retina that do not affect visual performance in the medium term, that is, when their journey in space lasts between half a year to a year."

Kononenko referred to this condition as “spatial ocular neurological syndrome” or (SANS), and so far, according to NASA, 70% of astronauts show one or more of the characteristic signs of (SANS), such as papilledema or deformity of the eyeball, and due to the spread of This syndrome in astronauts and the lack of information about its long-term development dynamics make scientists consider it a medical risk for long-term spaceflight.