Spaceflight

The U.S. government is offering its fifth round of free at-home tests for COVID-19, with four tests per household available at COVIDTests.gov as of Monday, Sept. 25.

With the rise of commercial spaceflight and astronauts’ stays aboard the International Space Station becoming longer, researchers seek to understand the impact of microgravity in low-Earth orbit on the function of the heart.

Small optic cup size may contribute to spaceflight-induced optic disc edema, according to a study. Several other ocular factors, as well as age, sex and body weight, showed no significant association with the edema.

Spaceflight may place astronauts at increased risk for developing mutations that can lead to cancer and heart disease, according to a study published in Nature Communications Biology.

An OCT study on spaceflight crew members found ocular morphology alterations potentially related to weightlessness and chronic headward fluid shift were not reversed by short-duration lower body negative pressure countermeasures.

Changes in blood-based biomarkers suggested long-duration spaceflight may pose risks for humans, according to a research letter published in JAMA Neurology.

Gravity has a more pronounced effect on brow position than it does eyelid position, according to a presentation at the virtual American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery annual meeting.

SAN FRANCISCO — At the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting, Alex A. Huang, MD, PhD, gives an update on terrestrial research efforts to treat spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome.