NASA Astronauts to Lead 2025 SPECTRALIS Symposium Keynote

Heidelberg Engineering has announced that NASA astronauts Warren Hoburg and Tyson Brunstetter, OD, PhD, will deliver the keynote address at the 21st Annual International SPECTRALIS Symposium (ISS), to be held on Friday, June 13, 2025. The event marks the first time the symposium will take place in Heidelberg, Germany, near the company’s global headquarters.

Spotlight on Space Medicine and Ocular Imaging

NASA has been utilizing Heidelberg’s SPECTRALIS OCT technology onboard the International Space Station (ISS) since 2013 to study the impact of microgravity on visual health. In 2018, a second SPECTRALIS device, upgraded with the OCT2 Module, was delivered and installed in early 2019. The enhanced system enables advanced image acquisition for collaborative studies on Space Flight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS).

SANS is a spaceflight-induced condition characterized by optic disc edema, which can occur unilaterally or bilaterally and remains one of the most pressing medical challenges faced by astronauts on long-duration missions.

“Every day at NASA, we learn something new about the impact of space travel on the human body, and ocular health in particular,” said Warren Hoburg, who completed his first mission in 2023 with 186 cumulative days in space.
“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.”

Collaboration Driving Discovery

Dr. Tyson Brunstetter and his team have been leading groundbreaking research into ocular pathology in microgravity environments, leveraging the SPECTRALIS multimodal imaging platform for in-orbit testing. Their work is advancing understanding of SANS and shedding light on its relevance for terrestrial eye conditions, including retinal disease and glaucoma.

“The research that Dr. Brunstetter’s team has been conducting on SANS with the help of the SPECTRALIS imaging platform is unparalleled,” said Arianna Schoess-Vargas, 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.”

Global Scientific Exchange in Heidelberg

The 2025 ISS will feature a robust scientific program with:

• 34 speakers from 12 countries, presenting on key topics in advanced ophthalmic imaging

• Focus areas including high-resolution OCT, artificial intelligence, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and geographic atrophy (GA)

• A digital poster session, offering participants an opportunity to share recent findings and engage with the international ophthalmology research community