University of Houston collaborates with NASA on astronaut ocular health study

University of Houston optometrists are collaborating on a NASA study that examines ocular changes experienced by astronauts during space flight.

A university press release explained that the Spectralis optical coherence tomographer (Heidelberg Engineering) is being used to investigate changes in visual acuity, intraocular pressure, the optic nerve and retinal structures in astronauts exposed to long-duration microgravity aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

University of Houston College of Optometry (UHCO) researchers say they have found 21 astronauts who have endured long-duration spaceflight aboard the ISS and have developed a variety of visual changes, ranging from hyperopic shift, scotoma and choroidal folds to cotton-wool spots, optic nerve distension, globe flattening and edema of the optic nerve, according to the press release.

Nimesh Patel, MD, an associate professor at UHCO, in conjunction with the NASA Ocular Health Study, recently received Heidelberg Engineering’s annual 2014 Xtreme Research Award on the preliminary data from the NASA study.

The Ocular Health Study investigates the changes with pre-flight, in-flight and post-flight exams, according to the press release.

“This will be useful in developing and evaluating countermeasures for longer duration missions, as well as helping to understand terrestrial-based changes associated with increased intracranial pressure, which is thought to play a significant role in space flight-induced visual impairment,” the press release said.