Long-term residence on the ISS causes negative effects on human eyesight.
Long-term residence on the ISS causes well-documented negative effects on human eyesight, frequently resulting in spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS), optic disc edema, globe flattening, and hyperopic shifts.
Multiple recent reviews and clinical studies confirm that long-duration spaceflight causes detrimental ocular and visual changes, collectively termed Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS), driven by factors such as cephalad fluid shifts, intracranial pressure changes, and radiation. There are no retrieved papers refuting this well-established finding.
Lange N, Wylęgała F, Bolek B, Sędziak-Marcinek B, Piłat J, Wylęgała E, Wylęgała A. Ophthalmic and Visual System Changes in Human Spaceflight: A Review of Mechanisms, Measurement, and Countermeasures.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15124537
Reviews evidence showing that long-duration spaceflight induces lasting ocular complications and visual impairments.
See more details
Wostyn P, Nedergaard M, Gibson CR, Mader TH. Asymmetric Optic Disc Edema in Astronauts: A Narrative Review Proposing an Interplay Between Ocular Venous Congestion and Glymphatic Transport.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.3390/life16050831
Discusses spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS) as a significant ophthalmic complication during and after missions.
Khullar S, Morya AK, Aggarwal S, Gupta T, Priyanka P, Morya R. Ocular health in outer space and beyond gravity: A minireview.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.12998/wjcc.v14.i3.117257
Notes that approximately one-third of astronauts experience SANS, featuring optic disc edema and hyperopic shifts during long missions.
Cheraqpour K, Shahriari M, Ghazi M, Heydari N, Moshfeghi S, Mousavi Ganji SM, Asgari S, Cheraqpour S. AstroOphthalmology: Basic and Pathophysiological Concepts of Space-Induced Ocular Changes.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.2147/eb.s611235
Highlights that microgravity and cosmic radiation synergistically cause visual dysfunction and ocular pathologies.
Tang G, Jillings S, Jeurissen B, Tomilovskaya E, Nosikova I, Ryabova A, Pechenkova E, Petrovichev V, Rukavishnikov I, Sunaert S, Parizel PM, Makovskaya L, Sinitsyn V, Sijbers J, Annen J, Laureys S, Van Ombergen A, Ahmadi SA, Wuyts FL, Eulenburg PZ. Physiological cerebrospinal fluid interactions between brain and eye structures are altered after long-duration spaceflight.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1113/ep093112
Demonstrates that long-duration spaceflight alters cerebrospinal fluid interactions, leading to measurable structural eye changes.
LeBlanc DP, Butterfield B, Jimenez-Chavez L, Zwart SR, Smith SM, Mao XW, Macias BR, Wu H. Spaceflight stressors impact on mitochondrial function and the risk for development of ocular pathology.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-026-00565-5
Links microgravity-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in ocular tissues to spaceflight ocular pathology.
The paper trail · every fact has a biography
Challenge the receipt
Citation formatting by citeproc-js (Frank Bennett) and the Citation Style Language project. Source and licenses.
Terms · Privacy · How verdicts work · Dispute this receipt