For over a decade NASA has been noticing patterns in astronauts' declining vision

 

Orange County, CA - December 6th 2016 - Over the past 10 years, Astronauts whom have undertaken long space expeditions have conceded to visual impairments. Such claims have been observed by NASA scientists and flight surgeons alike.

Upon further investigation of these returned Astronauts’ blurry vision, the complication appeared to stem from raised substantiation thelding to VIIP responsible for holding the eyes and amounts of cerebrospinal fluid, fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord, and its volume compressing on the oculous over a prolonged period of space travel. Nearly two-thirds of reinstated astronauts from such missions aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are reported to possess visual impairment intracranial pressure (VIIP).

"People initially didn't know what to make of it, and by 2010 there was growing concern as it became apparent that some of the astronauts had severe structural changes that were not fully reversible upon return to earth," said lead author of the study, Noam Alperin, Ph.D., professor of radiology and biomedical engineering at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

For over a decade NASA has been noticing patterns in astronauts' declining vision

Scientists first believed the origin of the quandary to be a deviation of vascular fluid toward the upper body, resulting from astronauts’ time spent in the microgravity of space. Cerebrospinal fluid caught researcher’s attention upon further investigation of antecedent sources observed in prior research.

Cerebrospinal fluid is the insulating fluid encompassing the brain and spinal cord that protects the organ, disperses nutrients throughout the body and expels waste materials. While usually adaptable to changing hydrostatic pressures of normal movement, such as lying down to standing up, space has proven to be an arduous challenge.

"On earth, the [cerebrospinal fluid] system is built to accommodate these pressure changes, but in space the system is confused by the lack of the posture-related pressure changes," Alperin said.

Researchers performed high-resolution orbit and brain MRI scans prior and post spaceflights for seven extended space mission ISS astronauts. Comparing these images with those from short-term mission Astronauts, advanced quantitative imaging algorithms divulged a correlation between VIIP and time spent in space.

Those who endured longer mission duration exhibited significantly increased post-flight flattening of their eyeballs and inflammation of optic nerves. Additionally, significantly more cerebrospinal fluid volume was discerned within the cavity of the skull responsible for holding the eyes, and providing further storage for ventricle cerebrospinal fluid volume.

Scientists are unaware of why the ocular changes are occurring, but identifying the cause is crucial in providing countermeasures for future space exploration. NASA is currently attempting to simulate the conditions leading to VIIP, however the substantiation remains unidentified.

 

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For over a decade NASA has been noticing patterns in astronauts’ declining vision   Orange County, CA – December 6th 2016 – Over the past 10 years, Astronauts whom have undertaken long space expeditions have conceded to visual impairments. Such claims have been observed by NASA scientists and flight surgeons alike. Upon further investigation of these returned […]