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Background:Several ophthalmic findings including optic disc swelling, globe flattening and choroidal folds have been observed in astronauts following long-duration space flight. The authors now report asymmetric choroidal expansion, disc swelling and optic disc morphologic changes in a 45-year-old a

BACKGROUND The purpose of this paper is to report the first use of an intraocular lens (IOL) in an astronaut during long duration spaceflight (LDSF). An astronaut developed a unilateral cataract and underwent phacoemulsification with insertion of an acrylic IOL. Approximately 15 mo later he flew on a Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS), where he successfully completed a 6-mo mission. CASE REPORT Ocular examination, including ultrasound (US), was performed before, during, and after his mission and he was questioned regarding visual changes during each portion of his flight. DISCUSSION We documented no change in IOL position during his space mission. This astronaut reported excellent and stable vision during liftoff, entry into microgravity (MG), 6 mo on the ISS, descent, and landing. Our results suggest that modern IOLs are stable, effective, and well tolerated during LDSF.Mader TH, Gibson CR, Schmid JF, Lipsky W, Sargsyan AE, Garcia K, Williams JN. Intraocular lens use in an astronaut during long duration spaceflight. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2018; 89(1):63-65.

We greatly appreciate the opportunity to respond to the comments of Dr. Wostyn et al. Their theory focuses on a glymphatic flow imbalance mechanism at the optic nerve head that may, at least partially, explain the development of optic disc swelling in astronauts during long-duration space flight. Th

A 36-year-old woman with retinitis pigmentosa was scheduled for removal of posterior subcapsular cataracts and experienced inadvertent retrobulbar administration of hypertonic saline. The patient developed retrobulbar pain and ophthalmoplegia that slowly improved over time. Hypertonic saline may cause ophthalmoplegia and pain if inadvertently given as a retrobulbar injection.

Purpose To describe the history, clinical findings, and possible etiologies of ophthalmic findings discovered in 7 astronauts after long-duration space flight, and document vision changes in approximately 300 additional astronauts. Design Retrospective, observational examination of ophthalmic findings in 7 astronauts and analysis of postflight questionnaires regarding in-flight vision changes in approximately 300 additional astronauts. Participants Seven astronauts with ophthalmic anomalies upon return from long-duration space missions to the International Space Station and 300 additional astronauts who completed postflight questionnaires regarding in-flight vision changes. Methods Before and after long-duration space flight, all 7 subjects underwent complete eye examinations, including cycloplegic and/or manifest refraction and fundus photography. Six underwent postmission optical coherence tomography (OCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); 4 had lumbar punctures (LP). Approximately 300 astronauts were queried regarding visual changes during space missions. Main Outcome Measures Refractive change, fundus photograph examination, retina OCT, orbital MRI, LP opening pressures, and examination of visual acuity data. Results After 6 months of space flight, 7 astronauts had ophthalmic findings, consisting of disc edema in 5, globe flattening in 5, choroidal folds in 5, cotton wool spots (CWS) in 3, nerve fiber layer thickening by OCT in 6, and decreased near vision in 6 astronauts. Five of 7 with near vision complaints had a hyperopic shift ≥+0.50 diopters (D) between pre/postmission spherical equivalent refraction in 1 or both eyes (range, +0.50 to +1.75 D). These 5 showed globe flattening on MRI. Lumbar punctures performed in the 4 with disc edema documented opening pressures of 22, 21, 28, and 28.5 cm H 2 O performed 60, 19, 12, and 57 days postmission, respectively. The 300 postflight questionnaires documented that approximately 29% and 60% of astronauts on short and long-duration missions, respectively, experienced a degradation in distant and near visual acuity. Some of these vision changes remain unresolved years after flight. Conclusions We hypothesize that the optic nerve and ocular changes we describe may result from cephalad fluid shifts brought about by prolonged microgravity exposure. The findings we report may represent parts of a spectrum of ocular and cerebral responses to extended microgravity exposure. Financial Disclosure(s) The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any of the materials discussed in this article.