Gravitational effects on intraocular pressure and ocular perfusion pressure

• DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00546.2021
• Publication Date: 2021-11-11T17:03:26Z
• Authors: Lonnie G. Petersen; Richard S. Whittle; Justin H. Lee; Jeremy Sieker; Joseph Carlson; Colton Finke; Cody M. Shelton; Johan C. G. Petersen; Ana Diaz-Artiles
• Keywords: Head-Down Tilt; Perfusion; Tonometry, Ocular; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Weightlessness; Humans; Blood Pressure; Intraocular Pressure

Maintaining appropriate ocular perfusion pressure (OPP) is critical for ocular health. We measured the relative changes in intraocular and mean arterial pressures during 360° tilt and calculated OPP, which was elevated during head-down tilt and decreased during head-up tilt. Experimental data are also explained by our computational model. We demonstrate that OPP is more gravitationally dependent than previously recognized and may be a factor in the overall patho-etiology behind the weightlessness-induced spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome.