An eye surgeon who expects cataract surgery to be performed in space has sent 135 lenses into orbit to prepare for it, according to Yahoo News Singapore. The report is part of a broader look at whether astronauts could one day receive cataract surgery on Mars, with scientists testing eye implants in space.
The same coverage, as summarized by Yahoo News Singapore, includes a prediction from a surgeon that cataract surgery will be needed in space, and a report that future Mars astronauts may require eye surgery millions of miles from Earth. Another headline in the roundup states that the surgeon says cataract surgery in space is coming soon, and that he sent the 135 lenses into orbit to get ready.
The reporting points to a practical problem for long-duration missions. Astronauts traveling to Mars would be far from Earth-based medical care, so eye conditions that can be treated on the ground would need another solution in transit or on arrival. Testing eye implants and surgical lenses in orbit is presented as a step toward that preparation.
The material does not specify how the lenses are being tested, what results have emerged, or when a procedure in space might take place. Those details are not included in the available reporting.
What to watch next: whether the orbital lens tests produce findings that move space-based cataract surgery closer to reality.
