The eye in orbit - study of ocular anatomic and functional changes related to space flight through advanced imaging systems

Microgravity has a great impact on the eye’s anatomy. The current theory is based on changes in the pressure within and around the optic nerve. Draining of blood in the retina and in the choroid can be done in a microgravity environment. Recently, a new imaging method - optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), has succeeded in uncovering microvascular changes in the retina and in the choroid. So far no ocular imaging test results have been published, on tests conducted in microgravity using OCTA. This experiment is intended to characterize the choroid and retinal vascular structure through OCTA in order to better understand the changes related to the ocular physiology in a space environment.