Volume 8, Number 6     November/December 2000

The "Eyes" Have It

From the weightlessness of space to NASA Glenn Research Center's National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and Combustion, Dr. Rafat Ansari has devoted himself to researching down-to-Earth applications of his dynamic light-scattering (DLS) technique.

"Space-vision goggles" developed by Dr. Rafat Ansari could be used by doctors to remotely monitor the eye health of astronauts and cosmonauts in space for long periods of time. Photo provided by NASA Glenn Research Center.

His research has advanced the development of opthalmic instruments used to detect early signs of eye diseases such as uveitis (eye inflammation), cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). There is also a possibility that the instruments could be used to detect Alzheimer's disease. Since the eye is easily accessed by light, the optical technologies created by Ansari can also be used for the evaluation of structure and physiology in health, aging and disease.

As residents enter the International Space Station for the first time, the challenges to human health and safety are evident for astronauts and cosmonauts who may be exposed to the ionizing and ultraviolet radiation of outer space. "Surgeries in a space environment or on distant planets during an expedition phase may not be a viable option," Ansari explained. "With 'space-vision goggles,' doctors will not only be able to remotely monitor the astronauts and cosmonauts for the possibilities of radiation-induced cataracts, but also observe EEG and heart monitors and record body temperatures. Blood sugar and cholesterol levels could also be monitored without taking a blood sample."

Ansari's laboratory is in the process of designing and constructing space-vision goggles. The goggles include a compact device based on his technique of DLS and other optical techniques and sensors supported by an internet web system to monitor an astronaut's health during long-term space travel.

Until recently, Ansari's efforts have focused largely on four areas of research: cataracts, diabetes, AMD and Alzheimer's disease.

Cataracts, AMD and Alzheimer's disease primarily affect people throughout the world over the age of 60. Cataracts are the gradual formation of protein clumps that eventually cloud the lens of the eye. Protein deposits called amyloids are present in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. With the adaptation of DLS techniques, physicians will be able to look into the lens, cornea, aqueous, retina and vitreous of an eye for amyloid protein. Detecting the disease in its earlier stages may lead to treatment with anti-inflammatories, antioxidants or hormone replacement therapies.

Although there remains no cure for cataracts, ongoing clinical research conducted between NASA and the National Eye Institute/National Institutes of Health using Ansari's DLS Probe has led to successful clinical testing of this new optical technology. It has enhanced opthalmologists' ability to trace the beginning stages of eye disease painlessly, non-invasively and quantitatively in humans.

For more information, contact Laurel Stauber at NASA Glenn Research Center. Call: 216/433-2820, E-mail: laurel.j.stauber@grc.nasa.gov Please mention you read about it in Innovation.

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