The hypercapnic environment on the International Space Station (ISS): A potential contributing factor to ocular surface symptoms in astronauts.

Life Sci Space Res (Amst)

Center for Space Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States; Department of Ophthalmology, Blanton Eye Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States; Departments of Ophthalmology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York,

Published: February 2025


Category Ranking

98%

Total Visits

921

Avg Visit Duration

2 minutes

Citations

20

Article Abstract

With increasing advancements and efforts towards space exploration, there is a pressing need to understand the impacts of spaceflight on astronauts' health. Astronauts have reported signs and symptoms of dry eye disease upon traveling to the International Space Station (ISS), thus necessitating an evaluation of the factors that contribute to the onset of spaceflight associated dry eye disease. Prior literature describes the hypercapnic environment of the ISS; however, the link between the high CO levels and astronauts' symptoms of dry eye disease remains unexplored. Due to the terrestrial relationship between a hypertonic environment and ocular irritation as well as the terrestrial association between CO exposure and subsequent corneal acidosis, there is a strong necessity to investigate the relationship between the elevated CO levels in the closed environment of the ISS and astronauts' risk for dry eye disease development.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lssr.2024.09.002DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

dry eye
16
eye disease
16
hypercapnic environment
8
international space
8
space station
8
station iss
8
symptoms dry
8
environment iss
8
environment international
4
iss
4

Similar Publications

Introduction: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common sensorimotor disorder that primarily affects the lower extremities. This condition is characterized by unpleasant sensations and an irresistible urge to move the affected body regions, typically during periods of rest or at night. While RLS most commonly involves the legs, atypical variants affecting other body parts, including the arms, abdomen, face, and even the head, have increasingly been reported.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of dry eye disease (DED) among children and adolescents aged 9 to 19 years in Fengyang County, and to explore the associations of sleep duration and social jetlag with DED, with the aim of providing scientific evidence for sleep-based interventions to prevent DED in this population.

Methods: Between November and December 2023, 14 primary and secondary schools were randomly selected in Fengyang County, Chuzhou City, Anhui Province, China. Students from Grade 4 to Grade 12 (aged 9-19 years) were invited to participate.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Comparative Validation of MOPTIM MRT-200 Refraction Device with 2WIN and Retinomax.

Clin Ophthalmol

September 2025

Alaska Blind Child Discovery, Alaska Children's EYE & Strabismus, Anchorage, Alaska, 99508, USA.

Background: Portable sphero-cylinder refraction is useful for remote medical missions and self-checking. A novel, inexpensive, handheld optical scope with an internal vision chart and adjustable diopter lens, called the Moptim MRT-200, was therefore validated.

Methods: Young, capable patients from a pediatric eye practice had dry refraction estimates with the Moptim MRT-200, Adaptica 2WIN photoscreener, and Monocular Retinomax compared with actual refined retinoscopy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

[Important medical-dental interactions. Oral manifestations of systemic auto-immune diseases].

Ned Tijdschr Tandheelkd

September 2025

The Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), The Netherlands.

Systemic auto-immune diseases are relatively common. This article describes the oral manifestations of disorders that might be seen in patients with the most prevalent auto-immune diseases, specifically rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren's disease. The article gives guidelines for dentists and other carers within the oral care system for this category of patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of intravitreal faricimab and aflibercept injections in patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV).

Methods: This retrospective study analysed 111 treatment-naïve eyes (111 patients) with PCV who received intravitreal injections of either faricimab (30 eyes) or aflibercept (81 eyes). All patients were treated with three initial monthly loading injections.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF