More than 70 percent of astronauts experience these alterations, which are a component of a syndrome known as neuroocular syndrome associated with space flight, according to NASA.
SANS can cause a variety of symptoms, ranging from severe vision loss to the need to wear glasses.
In addition to improving human spaceflight capabilities, the Polaris Program seeks to raise money and awareness about important Earth issues.
As a result of changes in body fluids such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which can cause structural alterations in the brain, astronauts can experience changes in their vision as early as their first day in space, according to Dr. Matt Lyon, director from the MCG Telehealth Center.
While CSF floats upward in space and presses against the optic nerve and retina, gravity on Earth aids its removal from the optic nerve sheath.
By using portable ultrasound scanners, Lyon's team hopes to identify astronauts who are most vulnerable to SANS and understand the mechanisms underlying these alterations.
CGM, a technology first developed to explore the effects of high cranial pressure and mild traumatic brain injuries (TBI), has trademarked the idea of using portable ultrasound to visualize damage caused by pressure and Fluid changes in the optic nerve sheath.
NIH funding of $350,000 allowed the researchers to work with URSUS Medical Designs LLC to build a three-dimensional ultrasound device.
Astronauts are currently being tested with this technology for optic nerve sheath damage or incompetence, which Lyon believes could predispose them to SANS.
The research team is training the Polaris Dawn crew to use these ultrasonic instruments to assess fluid and pressure in real time while in orbit.
Determining whether changes in vision are due to pressure, fluid volume, or both will help in developing countermeasures.
Using a negative pressure device on the lower body, which draws body fluids downward, could be one way to mitigate the danger of SANS during spaceflight.
SANS can cause a variety of symptoms, ranging from severe vision loss to the need to wear glasses.
In addition to improving human spaceflight capabilities, the Polaris Program seeks to raise money and awareness about important Earth issues.
As a result of changes in body fluids such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which can cause structural alterations in the brain, astronauts can experience changes in their vision as early as their first day in space, according to Dr. Matt Lyon, director from the MCG Telehealth Center.
While CSF floats upward in space and presses against the optic nerve and retina, gravity on Earth aids its removal from the optic nerve sheath.
By using portable ultrasound scanners, Lyon's team hopes to identify astronauts who are most vulnerable to SANS and understand the mechanisms underlying these alterations.
CGM, a technology first developed to explore the effects of high cranial pressure and mild traumatic brain injuries (TBI), has trademarked the idea of using portable ultrasound to visualize damage caused by pressure and Fluid changes in the optic nerve sheath.
NIH funding of $350,000 allowed the researchers to work with URSUS Medical Designs LLC to build a three-dimensional ultrasound device.
Astronauts are currently being tested with this technology for optic nerve sheath damage or incompetence, which Lyon believes could predispose them to SANS.
The research team is training the Polaris Dawn crew to use these ultrasonic instruments to assess fluid and pressure in real time while in orbit.
Determining whether changes in vision are due to pressure, fluid volume, or both will help in developing countermeasures.
Using a negative pressure device on the lower body, which draws body fluids downward, could be one way to mitigate the danger of SANS during spaceflight.
