The eye lens is known to be a radiosensitive mammalian organ, and ionizing radiation is
considered to be a widely known risk factor inducing lens opacities. During space
missions, astronauts are constantly exposed to galactic cosmic radiation, which
contains energetic heavy ions of high linear energy transfer (LET). Due to higher dose
and different patterns of cellular energy deposition from the high-LET ions, astronauts
have higher risk for developing cataract compared to low-LET radiation exposure on
earth. Although the exact mechanism of opacification is not known in detail, it is
hypothesized that it initiates from the post-irradiation proliferative activity of genetically
damaged lens epithelial cells. [...