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Ocular oxidative changes and antioxidant therapy during spaceflight

Eye volume 38, pages 1034–1035 (2024)Cite this article

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Spaceflight is associated with several physiological changes in the human body, including changes in ocular health [1]. One such change after long-duration spaceflight (LDSF) is spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS). SANS is characterized by imaging and clinical findings including hyperopic refractive error shift, optic disc edema, choroidal folds [2], and posterior globe flattening [3]. Although SANS serves as one of the largest potential physiologic and pathologic barriers to future crewed interplanetary LDSF by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the underlying mechanism of SANS remains ill defined [4]. However, oxidative stress has been proposed as one of the contributory mechanisms underlying SANS [5]. In this article, we will focus on the ocular oxidative biomarker changes during spaceflight and its implications for ocular health.

Spaceflight-induced oxidative stress may cause some of the visual abnormalities in astronauts including SANS. The body’s antioxidant defense mechanisms may be overwhelmed in microgravity conditions, causing oxidative damage to tissues, including the eyes. Oxidative stress occurs when there is an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant defenses in the body [6]. ROS are molecules that have the potential to damage cellular components, such as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), proteins, and lipids. Antioxidants are molecules that protect the body from oxidative damage by neutralizing ROS. The eye is particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress due to its high metabolic rate and exposure to environmental stressors, such as light and oxygen [7]. Oxidative stress has been implicated in several ocular diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts, and glaucoma [6].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University College Dublin School of Medicine, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland

    Mouayad Masalkhi

  2. Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Joshua Ong

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Ethan Waisberg

  4. Center for Space Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Andrew G. Lee

  5. Department of Ophthalmology, Blanton Eye Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA

    Andrew G. Lee

  6. The Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA

    Andrew G. Lee

  7. Departments of Ophthalmology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Andrew G. Lee

  8. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA

    Andrew G. Lee

  9. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Andrew G. Lee

  10. Texas A&M College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Andrew G. Lee

  11. Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Andrew G. Lee

Authors
  1. Mouayad Masalkhi
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Contributions

MM: literature review and writing. JO: manuscript editing and review. EW: manuscript editing and review. AGL: manuscript review.

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Correspondence to Mouayad Masalkhi.

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Masalkhi, M., Ong, J., Waisberg, E. et al. Ocular oxidative changes and antioxidant therapy during spaceflight. Eye 38, 1034–1035 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-023-02841-0

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