As gravity wanes and pressures gain, it's pain and bane for the brain
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 - 13:31
in Health & Medicine
In space, the old movie slogan declares, "no one can hear you scream." On the other hand, you might look like it, with puffy face, swollen eyes and distended neck veins. This is what happens when, screaming or not, bodily fluids shift in the absence of gravity. They surge inward and headward, elevating pressures inside the skull and the risk of long-term vision impairment caused by engorged blood vessels impinging upon optic nerves.