Disrupted blood flow from zero gravity could be damaging astronauts eyes

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-10-28 02:00

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Disrupted blood flow from the near-zero gravity of spaceflight could be one of the things damaging astronauts eyes, according to international researchers. They say that swelling blood vessels in the astronauts heads may be contributing to their eye-related problems. Researchers have previously found that astronauts returning from the International Space Station experience worsening eyesight, damage to the retina, globe flattening, swelling optic nerves, and mildly elevated intracranial pressure, which is collectively known as spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS). The authors studied 12 astronauts and found that they had higher volumes of blood in the veins in their heads, suggesting that this could be contributing to their SANS diagnosis.