Image courtesy: NASA
HEIDELBERG, Germany, May 22, 2025 – Heidelberg Engineering, a global leader in ophthalmic imaging and healthcare data solutions, announced that NASA astronauts Warren Hoburg and Tyson Brunstetter, OD, PhD, will lead the keynote presentation at the company’s 21st Annual International SPECTRALIS Symposium (ISS) on Friday, June 13th as part of its mission to ignite curiosity and innovation
“Every day at NASA we learn something new about the impact of space travel on the human body, and ocular health in particular. I am honored to be on this stage with Dr. Brunstetter and look forward to sharing our insights, learnings, and experiences with this year’s symposium attendees,” said Hoburg, who logged a cumulative total of 186 days in space during his first flight in 2023.
NASA researchers have used SPECTRALIS OCT technology onboard the International Space Station since 2013 to investigate the effects of microgravity environments on vision. A second SPECTRALIS equipped with OCT2 Module was delivered to the station in 2018 and installed in early 2019. The upgraded device supports advanced image capturing to further collaborative research into Space Flight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS), a condition that can cause unilateral and bilateral optic disc edema, which astronauts commonly experience because of space travel.
“The research that Dr. Brunstetter’s team has been conducting on SANS with the help of SPECTRALIS multimodal imaging platform is unparalleled and has had a tremendous impact on expanding our understanding of ocular pathology in space and on Earth,” said Arianna Schoess-Vargas of Heidelberg Engineering. “We are immensely proud of our partnership with NASA, and we foresee broad applicability of this research for future long-term space missions, as well as terrestrial research in both retina disease and glaucoma.”
Now in its 21st year, the flagship International SPECTRALIS Symposium will take place in Heidelberg, Germany for the first time ever, mere steps away from the company’s headquarters. In addition to the keynote lecture presented by Hoburg and Brunstetter, the scientific program features 34 distinguished speakers from 12 countries, who will present cutting-edge advancements in imaging, including high-resolution OCT, artificial intelligence, AMD, and GA. The dynamic program also includes a digital poster session, offering participants the opportunity to share their latest research and actively engage with the global scientific community.
Prospective attendees can register for the ISS at this link.
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