In zero gravity, the liquid floats to the head and presses against the eyeball from time to time. It is considered one of the riskiest medical problems affecting astronauts, with some experts fearing it could jeopardize missions to Mars.
Reported BBC News, Friday (12/10/2021), the development of the sleeping bag was led by Dr Benjamin Levine, professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, who is working on a device stationed on the International Space Station (ISS). .
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NASA has documented sight problem on more than half of the astronauts who served at least six months on the ISS. Some astronauts suffer from nearsightedness, have difficulty reading, and sometimes need crewmates to help with experiments.
“We don’t know how bad the effect will be on longer flights, such as a two-year Mars operation,” said Prof Levine, who is also director of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine, a collaboration between UT Southwestern and Texas. Dallas Health Presbyterian Hospital.
“It would be disastrous if the astronauts were so badly disturbed that they couldn’t see what they were doing and it jeopardized the mission.”
In 2005 astronaut John Phillips was launched to the ISS with his 20/20 vision and returned six months later with his 20/100 sight. Others experience a less severe version of the condition.
On Earth, gravity pulls fluids into the body every time a person gets out of bed – something known as “unloading”. But in space, low gravity allows more than half a gallon of body fluids to collect in the head, putting pressure on the eyeballs.
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