What glasses should you wear to space? – EYESEEMAG

Do you have 20/20 vision? Or have you had an eye-test recently and been told you don’t need glasses? Well, then you certainly tick a crucial box to be considered for the NASA training program. However, what you might not know is that spending a long period of time in space can severely damage your eyesight. In fact, medical examinations performed on astronauts after prolonged periods of time in space show a flattening of the eye balls and a drastic drop in their sharpness of vision after they return to earth. Why? Without gravity, the blood pressure around the eyes and brain increases. Known as ‘cerebro-spinal liquid pressurization’, this phenomenon is responsible for a worsening of eyesight.

But no need to panic if you areabout to set off on a long-distance voyage towards the stars, since NASA are on the cusp of resolving this problem. In a study carried out at the John Space Centre in Houston, Texas, 20 individuals were made to wear swimming goggles, which, by compressing against the skin around their eyes, reduced the pressure of anti-gravity on the eyes and brain and thus diminish the damage on vision caused by long periods of time in space. However, in order to confirm the results of the study, a complementary trial carried out in space will be necessary. So maybe hold off from going for a whizz around the atmosphere in your current glasses anytime too soon.