Long space flights may adversely affect the eyesight of astronauts.
Scientists said that a long stay on Board the spacecraft may adversely affect the eyesight of astronauts. The researchers ‘ findings were published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology.
The researchers suggested that microgravity is able to provide a much more comprehensive impact on the tissues of the head than originally thought. Following this idea, researchers checked the sight at fifteen astronauts: they took a survey before and after space flight. How figured out the experts, stay in weightlessness leads to a deformation of the so-called disk of the optic nerve, which is a “spot” in which coming from brain neurons interact with receptors of the retina. Space flight can cause stretching of this part of the optic nerve.
In the end, between the retina and sustained by a network of capillaries is formed a slight gap. The latter decreases rapidly after the return to Earth and the disc of the optic nerve “involved” inside when the pressure inside the eye. All of this can lead to serious difficulties in the retina.
The importance of opening confirm the previously obtained observations, according to which 23% of short-term space flight and in about half of the crews of long-term missions of NASA have observed difficulties with vision. Experts do not exclude that a very long stay in microgravity in General will lead to blindness. Output can be space ships with artificial gravity.
Previously, scientists said that astronauts can perform only one mission to Mars without harm to health. The danger is the high level of radiation associated with the galactic cosmic rays.
