Spaceflight Ophthalmology and Medicine

Ryung Lee is a budding space medicine researcher with broad interests within the NASA Space Medicine Operations Division. As a protégé of Dr. Andrew Lee and Dr. Joshua Ong, he has led many new initiatives in this domain, including spaceflight associated dry eye syndrome (SADES), oculomics in spaceflight, and anterior segment diagnostics. As a Korean American, he hopes to see further international collaboration between KASA (Korean Aeronautics and Space Administration) and NASA Joshua Ong, MD is a resident physician with a passion for protecting astronaut health. He has conducted research on several space medicine research projects, including a project that launched into space. He has presented at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Human Research Program Investigators' Workshop and strives to continue his lifelong journey in ophthalmology and space medicine. Dr. Ethan Waisberg is an Academic Foundation Doctor at the University of Cambridge, in the UK. He conducts research in Spaceflight Associate Neuro-Ocular Syndrome, is a member of of NASA's Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Working Group and has co-published leading papers in space medicine, neuro-ophthalmology, extended reality, and artificial intelligence. Dr. Berdahl is a dedicated ophthalmic surgeon known for his innovative approach to patient care and trust-building in vulnerable moments. His passion for surgical excellence has led him to co-invent the MKO melt, providing sedation during cataract surgeries without IVs or opioids, and to develop Interfeen, a drug for ocular conditions. He also founded astigmatismfix.com to assist surgeons in minimizing residual astigmatism post-surgery and co-founded ExpertOpinion.MD for patients to seek medical opinions from world experts. As the founder of Balance Ophthalmics, he created a non-surgical method for glaucoma treatment, which received FDA approval in 2024. Dr. Berdahl is committed to advancing ophthalmology through collaboration and education, earning multiple accolades, including the 2024 Chester B. McVay Award for Excellence in Teaching and Research. His extensive education includes training at prestigious institutions such as Mayo Clinic and Duke University. Dr. Lee began his academic career in 1994 as an Instructor in the Department of Ophthalmology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery at Baylor College of Medicine, becoming an Associate Professor in 1998. In 2000, he joined the University of Iowa as an Associate Professor and later became a full Professor. He serves on the editorial boards of 12 journals, including the American Journal of Ophthalmology, and is the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Academic Ophthalmology. A recipient of multiple awards from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Dr. Lee has a strong interest in resident training and has published extensively on teaching methods in ophthalmology residency programs. In 2009, he joined Houston Methodist Hospital and Research Institute, where he currently serves as Chair of the Blanton Eye Institute and is a Professor at Weill Cornell Medical College.

• 1. Clinical Implications of µG2. Space Radiation3. Circadian Rhythm and Long-Duration Spaceflight4. Behavioral Health5. Oxidative Stress and Spaceflight6. Environmental Hazards7. Impact of Social Isolation8. Space Immunology9. Cognitive Impairment in Long-Duration Spaceflight10. Cardiovascular System11. Stress and the HPA Axis12. Paradox of Aging in Spaceflight13. Brain-Eye-Liver Axis14. Contributors to Gut Microbiology15. Molecular Biology of the Eye16. Food and Nutrition and the Eye17. Pharmacology. Ophthalmic Side EffectsSECTION 2. The New Frontier in Spaceflight Ophthalmology18. Medical and Physiologic Risk Factors19. Vision Standards and Assessment20. Refraction Options for Astronauts21. Refractive Surgery for Astronauts22. Intraocular Lens Optimized for Spaceflight23. Spaceflight-Associated Dry Eye Syndrome24. Regolith, Corneal Abrasions, and Ulcers25. Viral Reactivation and Ocular Surface Infection26. Extended Reality Technology27. Ocular Surface Malignancies and Limbal Epithelial Stem Cells28. Oculomics in SpaceflightPART 1.29. Ocular Trauma and 3D BioprintingPART 2.30. Spaceflight Cataracts31. Molecular Mechanisms of Spaceflight Cataracts32. Anterior Segment Diagnosis in Spaceflight. Lessons from Histopathologic Correlates33. Personalized and Precision Medicine and Differential Gene Expression