Biomaterial Database

Optic disc edema in an astronaut after repeat long-duration space flight. 2013

Thomas H Mader, and C Robert Gibson, and Anastas F Pass, and Andrew G Lee, and Hanspeter E Killer, and Hans-Christian Hansen, and Joseph P Dervay, and Michael R Barratt, and William J Tarver, and Ashot E Sargsyan, and Larry A Kramer, and Roy Riascos, and Deepak G Bedi, and Donald R Pettit

Department of Ophthalmology, Alaska Native Medical Center, Anchorage, Alaska 99507, USA. tmader@acsalaska.net

BACKGROUND A number of ophthalmic findings including optic disc edema, globe flattening, and choroidal folds have been observed in several astronauts after long-duration space flights. The authors report the first astronaut with previously documented postflight ophthalmic abnormalities who developed new pathological changes after a repeat long-duration mission. METHODS A case study of an astronaut with 2 long-duration (6 months) exposures to microgravity. Before and after his first long-duration space flight, he underwent complete eye examination, including fundus photography. Before and after his second flight, 9 years later, he underwent fundus photography, optical coherence tomography, ocular ultrasonography, and brain magnetic resonance imaging, as well as in-flight fundus photography and ultrasound. RESULTS After his first long-duration mission, the astronaut was documented to have eye findings limited to unilateral choroidal folds and a single cotton wool spot. During a subsequent 6-month mission, he developed more widespread choroidal folds and new onset of optic disc edema in the same eye. CONCLUSIONS Microgravity-induced anatomical changes that occurred during the first mission may have set the stage for recurrent or additional changes when the astronaut was subjected to physiological stress of repeat space flight.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D010211	Papilledema	Swelling of the OPTIC DISK, usually in association with increased intracranial pressure, characterized by hyperemia, blurring of the disk margins, microhemorrhages, blind spot enlargement, and engorgement of retinal veins. Chronic papilledema may cause OPTIC ATROPHY and visual loss. (Miller et al., Clinical Neuro-Ophthalmology, 4th ed, p175)	Choked Disk,Edema of the Optic Disc,Edema of the Optic Disk,Optic Disc Edema,Optic Disk Edema,Optic Papilla Edema,Papillitis, Optic,Decreased Intraocular Pressure-Associated Papilledema,Increased Intracranial Pressure-Associated Papilledema,Optic Nerve Papillitis,Papilledema Associated with Decreased Intraocular Pressure,Papilledema Associated with Increased Intracranial Pressure,Papillitis,Retinal Edema,Choked Disks,Decreased Intraocular Pressure Associated Papilledema,Disk, Choked,Edema, Optic Disc,Edema, Optic Disk,Edema, Optic Papilla,Edema, Retinal,Edemas, Optic Disc,Edemas, Optic Disk,Edemas, Retinal,Increased Intracranial Pressure Associated Papilledema,Optic Papillitis,Papillitis, Optic Nerve,Retinal Edemas
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013026	Space Flight	Travel beyond the earth's atmosphere.	Space Exploration,Space Travel,Spaceflight,Exploration, Space,Explorations, Space,Flight, Space,Flights, Space,Space Explorations,Space Flights,Space Travels,Spaceflights,Travel, Space,Travels, Space
D014893	Weightlessness	Condition in which no acceleration, whether due to gravity or any other force, can be detected by an observer within a system. It also means the absence of weight or the absence of the force of gravity acting on a body. Microgravity, gravitational force between 0 and 10 -6 g, is included here. (From NASA Thesaurus, 1988)	Microgravity,Zero Gravity,Gravity, Zero
D018480	Astronauts	Members of spacecraft crew including those who travel in space, and those in training for space flight.	Cosmonauts,Astronaut,Cosmonaut