Since its arrival at the International Space Station (ISS) on June 15, 2013, Heidelberg Engineering’s Spectralis OCT device is being used regularly for eye examinations of ISS crew members. First on-orbit tests of the instrument were conducted successfully on June 21, 2013.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, performs SPECTRALIS OCT examination on board the International Space Station (ISS). (Image Credit: NASA)
The first-ever OCT examination in space was performed with a commercial SPECTRALIS OCT device on board ISS on October 16, 2013. Since then, ISS crew members are being examined in one- to two-week intervals.
The examinations are part of NASA’s Ocular Health Study, which seeks to understand ocular changes in astronauts during long-term space missions. Crew members had Spectralis OCT baseline examinations prior to their missions on Earth.
The on-orbit follow-up examinations now allow observation of possible ocular changes developing. The close follow-up examinations are facilitated by the Spectralis’ AutoRescan function, which ensures that serial OCT images on Earth and in space are taken at the exact same retinal location.
Click HERE to read NASA’s Prospective Observational Study of Ocular Health in ISS Crews.
