Original Investigation

Prediction of Optic Disc Edema Progression During Spaceflight

JAMA Ophthalmology 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2025.4635

November 20, 2025 at 11:00 AM EST

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Does the development of optic disc edema (ODE) early in spaceflight predict the magnitude of change that occurs late in mission?In a cohort study involving 43 International Space Station crewmembers, those who did not develop ODE on flight day 30 were unlikely to develop clinically concerning optic disc edema on flight day 150.These data suggest that optical coherence tomography imaging during spaceflight missions approximately 30 days long provides an opportunity to predict the magnitude of ODE that may develop during a mission lasting 6 months or longer.

Corresponding Author: Brandon R. Macias, PhD, NASA Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Pkwy, Mail Code SK3, Houston, TX 77058 (brandon.r.macias@nasa.gov).

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