Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are set to take part in a new vision test using a virtual reality system designed in Nevada to help scientists better understand how spaceflight may affect the human eye.
Four astronauts will use the headset-based system created by University of Nevada, Reno Computer Science and Engineering Professor Alireza Tavakkoli during testing on April 22 and 23.
The tool is designed to study Spaceflight Associated Neuroocular Syndrome, or SANS, a condition linked to eye changes that have been observed in astronauts after long-duration missions in space. Each session will last about 30 minutes and will collect data that researchers hope will explain what is happening to vision in low gravity environments.
Since humans began spending extended time aboard the space station after 2000, researchers began noticing eye changes by 2009.
“There are changes in the optic disc and in the optic nerve, which connects the eyes to the brain,” Tavakkoli said. “Also, there are changes that are physically happening to the shape of the retina. Over time, these changes could impact vision.”
On Earth, doctors typically rely on specialized equipment to examine those kinds of symptoms, but Tavakkoli said the machines are too large to send into space. His work focuses on creating lighter systems that can still gather accurate eye data in orbit.
“This phase of the study is primarily for feasibility,” Tavakkoli said. “You want to see if this thing actually works in space, if it's measuring things that it's supposed to be measuring, and if those measurements are consistent. We’re also collecting medical data, too.”
He said the next step would be getting NASA approval to connect the data with astronaut medical records to compare eye changes before and after spaceflight.
The research is tied to NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to establish a long-term presence on the moon and eventually Mars. Tavakkoli said the technology could also help people on Earth in remote areas without access to specialized medical equipment.
The system was launched aboard the Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft on April 11 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and arrived at the space station on April 13. Tavakkoli said he will observe the first round of testing remotely from his home on April 22 and 23 around 1 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.
Additional testing is scheduled for June 18 and 19, Aug. 28, and Nov. 2, with another round to follow. The project was funded through a $100,000 NASA EPSCoR award granted in 2023.
