More and more people are going to space these days, and there is growing concern about how that will affect their health.
Scientists at Texas A&M University, led by Dr. Ana Diaz Artiles, are studying how microgravity affects eye health, focusing on the pressure inside the eye.
(Photo: Pexels/ Josh Sorenson )
Microgravity and Fluid Shifts
The lack of gravity in space causes alterations in body fluids' movement, which can harm your heart and eyes. Fluids usually stored in the lower body flow up when gravity is absent.
This has the potential to modify the pressure and curvature of the irises. Eye issues for pilots are caused by Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS), which is associated with this transition.
Dr. Diaz Artiles' team aims to determine how SANS operates and how to stop it. They investigated how effectively lower body negative pressure (LBNP) could prevent fluid changes.
LBNP aims to bring fluids back to the lower body to lessen the effects of microgravity. However, they found that LBNP doesn't lower OPP, even though it moves fluids around.
A study with 24 people found that LBNP considerably dropped intraocular pressure (IOP) in both the flat and head-down tilt positions. However, MAPeye (mean artery pressure at eye level) changed, and OPP didn't drop significantly. LBNP might not be the best way to stop SANS if high OPP is also a problem.
A View and Effect on Commercial Space Travel
As commercial space missions grow more common, passengers must be aware of these physiological changes. It is imperative to have robust defenses, as commercial travelers may not be healthy. Furthermore, Diaz Artiles underscored the necessity of conducting additional research to ascertain the correlation between fluid shifts, OPP, and SANS.
Diaz Artiles made it abundantly evident that this study is a component of a three-part endeavor. The primary objective is to understand further the physiological effects of fluid changes and their connection to Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS).
In the past, a tilt table was used to mimic different levels of gravity, which helped researchers learn more about how the heart and lungs react. In the future, researchers will look into using a centrifuge as an alternative method and compare how it affects heart and eye processes.
The Texas A&M team wants to do tests in real microgravity, like during parabolic flights, to understand better what it's like to be in space. Knowing how countermeasures work in actual space conditions is essential to creating plans to protect eye health during space missions.
Dr. Diaz Artiles' research at Texas A&M University demonstrates the need to understand and minimize the impacts of microgravity on ocular health. As space travel becomes easier, the most essential thing to think about is making sure that all travelers are safe. Current treatments, like LBNP, show promise, but more studies are needed to develop complete ways to fight SANS and keep eyes healthy in space.
Studies such as this are crucial in ensuring the safety and well-being of space travel as humans continue to explore the universe. The findings indicate that additional research is required to investigate the relationship between eye health, fluid dynamics, and microgravity. This will ensure that future space travelers remain healthy during their expeditions.
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