Abstract
On Earth, tissue weight generates compressive forces that press on body structures and act on the walls of vessels throughout the body. In microgravity, tissues no longer have weight, and tissue compressive forces are lost, suggesting that individuals who weigh more may show greater effects from microgravity exposure. One unique effect of long-duration microgravity exposure is spaceflight-associated neuroocular syndrome (SANS), which can present with globe flattening, choroidal folds, optic disk edema, and a hyperopic visual shift. To determine whether weight or other anthropometric measures are related to ocular changes in space, we analyzed data from 45 individual long-duration astronauts (mean age 47, 36 male, 9 female, mean mission duration 165 days) who had pre- and postflight measures of disk edema, choroidal folds, and manifest ocular refraction. The mean preflight weights of astronauts who developed new choroidal folds [78.6 kg with no new folds vs. 88.6 kg with new folds ( F = 6.2, P = 0.02)] and disk edema [79.1 kg with no edema vs. 95 kg with edema ( F = 9.6, P = 0.003)] were significantly greater than those who did not. Chest and waist circumferences were also significantly greater in those who developed folds or ed...Continue Reading
References
Jul 1, 1996·Journal of Applied Physiology·J C BuckeyC G Blomqvist
Aug 19, 2011·Ophthalmology·Thomas H MaderJames D Polk
Feb 2, 2013·Survey of Ophthalmology·Giovanni TaibbiGianmarco Vizzeri
Feb 2, 2016·Journal of Neuro-ophthalmology : the Official Journal of the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society·Andrew G LeeChristian A Otto
Jan 17, 2017·The Journal of Physiology·Justin S LawleyBenjamin D Levine
May 27, 2017·Journal of Applied Physiology·Allison P AndersonJay C Buckey
Citations
Mar 14, 2019·The New England Journal of Medicine·Jan StepanekScott Parazynski
Dec 4, 2019·Current Opinion in Neurology·Peter WojcikAndrew G Lee
Jun 20, 2019·Neurosurgery·Karina Marshall-GoebelEric M Bershad
Feb 13, 2020·NPJ Microgravity·Andrew G LeeTyson Brunstetter
Aug 17, 2020·Scientific Reports·Jonathan P R ScottSamuel N Cheuvront
Aug 22, 2020·NPJ Microgravity·Guofu ShenBenjamin J Frankfort
Apr 30, 2020·Journal of Neurosurgical Sciences·Reem ElwyEhab El Refaee
Jul 14, 2020·Ophthalmology·Anders WåhlinAnders Eklund
Feb 13, 2021·NPJ Microgravity·Guofu ShenBenjamin J Frankfort
Feb 7, 2021·NPJ Microgravity·Andrew G LeeTyson Brunstetter
May 2, 2021·Physiological Reports·Mimi LanJay C Buckey
Apr 30, 2021·Journal of Applied Physiology·Richard S Whittle, Ana Diaz-Artiles
Aug 26, 2021·Physiology·Scott M Smith, Sara R Zwart
Sep 9, 2021·Anaesthesia·T G Smith, J C Buckey
Oct 16, 2021·NPJ Microgravity·Giovanni TaibbiPatricia Parsons-Wingerter
Nov 26, 2021·Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance·Shawn KhanJay C Buckey