Category: Members

Dear Sufferers,

Recently Dr. Sebag released a brief interview with some important updates for the VDM PROJECT.

The VMR RESEARCH FOUNDATION, along with prominent partners and doctors, is working to make progress and get closer to a better solution to diagnose and treat eye floaters.

In this interview, Dr. Sebag answered some of the most relevant questions from the community and shared some significant considerations on the recognition of VDM as a significant disease by medical practitioners vs. being considered simply a nuisance.

In the upcoming months, we plan to involve doctors and experts from the Scientific Advisory Board to begin discussing different points of view and possible solutions to cope, treat and cure eye floaters.

 We have uploaded the video of Dr. Sebag’s interview to the VDM PROJECT YouTube account.

 You can access it here: CLICK HERE

 Let’s unite for clear vision!
 VDM PROJECT TEAM

 P.S.
 The VMR Research Foundation is grateful for your continued support.

Your contribution matters and represents a positive step forward toward a better and safe treatment for eye floaters.

Alfredo A. Sadun, MD, PhD, Vice-Chair Ophthalmology, Doheny Eye Institute/UCLA
Jean-Louis Selam, MD, President, University Clinical Investigators, Irvine, CA
Howard Slavin, Esq.
Gregory C. Beck, CPA
J. Sebag, MD, FACS, FRCOphth, FARVO – Chair

---

ACHIEVEMENTS 2022

I.       EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Since inception, the VMR Research Foundation (VMRR) has built upon vitreous R&D begun by Dr. Sebag in 1978 at the College of Physicians & Surgeon, Columbia University and continued at Harvard Medical School from 1980 to 1986. This work has since produced over 250 academic publications in peer-reviewed publications top journals, as well as chapters, books, editorials, reviews, and letters. Dr. Sebag has delivered 253 lectures and presentations throughout the world. In addition to defining the roles of vitreous in ocular health and vitreo-retinal diseases, VMRR has focused on the problem of Vision Degrading Myodesopsia (clinically significant vitreous floaters). To address the unmet need for better understanding and new treatments, VMRR is undertaking several ambitious projects.

II. SUMMARY OF WORK PRODUCT/ACHIEVEMENTS

A. VDM Project (www.VDMresearch.org)

Educating the public and raising awareness (as well as funds) have been prime objectives of the VDM Project. A scientific advisory board was assembled consisting of Professor Taiji Sakamoto (Japan), Professor Alfredo Sadun (Los Angeles), Professor Paulo Stanga (London), Professor Susanne Binder (Vienna), and Dr. Felix Sauvage (Belgium). Quarterly meetings have been held with the leadership of the VDM Project. Public awareness and education are cornerstones of this endeavor.

B. Publications

1. PEER-REVIEWED ORIGINAL REPORTS

Sauvage F, Nguyen VP, Li Y, Harizaj A, Sebag J, Roles D, Van Havere VV, Peynshaert K, Fraire JC, Tassignon M-J, Remaut K, Paulus YM, Braeckman K, Stefaan C. De Smedt SC: Laser-induced nanobubbles safely ablate vitreous opacities in vivo. Nature Nanotechnology 2022 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-022-01086-4

Nguyen JH, Yee KMP, Nguyen-Cuu J, Mamou J, Sebag J: Vitrectomy improves contrast sensitivity in multifocal pseudophakia with vision degrading myodesopsia. Am J Ophthalmol 244:196-204, 2022 doi: 10.1016/j.ajo.2022.05.003.   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2022.05.003

2. CHAPTERS

Huang S, Friedman J, Sebag J: Vitreous. In: ASRS Retina Atlas and Image Bank, 2020              updated 2022. American Society of Retinal Specialists https://atlas.asrs.org/article/vitreous-122

Sebag J: Vitreous & Vitreo-Retinal Interface. In: Ryan’s Retina 7^th ed (Sadda, ed.) Elsevier, 2022

Chew L, Sebag J: Vitreous. In: Adler’s Physiology of the Eye. 12^th Ed, 2022. Elsevier, Philadelphia (in press)

3. LETTERS, EDITORIALS, CASE REPORTS, REVIEWS, MISCELLANEOUS

Gui W, Sebag J: Correspondence. Retina. 2022 Jan 1;42(1):e5-e7. doi: 10.1097/IAE.0000000000003334

Sebag J: Coronal plane OCT imaging and vision in macular pucker. Graefe’s Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 260:2379-80, 2022   

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-021-05439-y

Gui W, Silverman RH, Sebag J: Etiology and diagnosis of vision degrading myodesopsia.Retinal Physician 19:30-33, 2022 https://www.relinalphysician.com/issues/2022/june-2022/etiology-and-diagnosis-of-vision-degrading-myodeso

Sebag J: Letter to the Editor. Ophthalmology Retina 6(7):644-5, 2022

Gui W, Sebag J: Surgical management of vision degrading myodesopsia. Retinal Phys 19:E1-E4, 2022

AAO SCOPE Interview: The Way We Were. August, 2022
https://www.aao.org/senior-ophthalmologists/scope/article/way-we-were-j-sebag-md

Gui W, Silverman RH, Sebag J: Non-surgical management of vision degrading myodesopsia. Retinal Physician Volume 19, Issue: Special Edition 2022, page(s): E1-E5 

Wieghofer P, Engelbert M, Chui TC, Rosen RB, Sakamoto T, Sebag J: Hyalocyte origin, structure, & imaging.
Exp Rev Ophthalmol 2022
https://doi.org/10.1080/17469899.2022.2100762

Boneva S, Wolf J, Wieghofer P, Sebag J, Lange C: Hyalocyte function & immunology.
Exp Rev Ophthalmol 2022
https://doi.org/10.1080/17469899.2022.2100762

Jones C, Gui W, Schumann RG, Boneva S, Lange C, van Overdam K, Chui TC, Rosen RB, Sebag J: Hyalocytes in proliferative vitreo-retinal diseases.
Exp Rev Ophthalmol 2022
https://doi.org/10.1080/17469899.2022.2100764

C. Lectures and Presentations 2022

Sebag J: Vitreous & Vision Degrading Myodesopsia. 

8^th Annual Meeting, Pacific Retina Club, UCLA, April 2, 2022 (by invitation)

Sebag J: Vitrectomy improves contrast sensitivity function in multifocal pseudophakia.

American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery, Washington DC, April 25, 2022

Sebag J: Vitrectomy improves contrast sensitivity in multifocal pseudophakia with vision degrading myodesopsia. American Ophthalmological Society, Colorado Springs, May 21, 2022

Sebag J: Keynote Lecture:  See the Invisible – The Quest of Imaging Vitreous.           Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland. September 30, 2022 (by invitation)

Sebag J: Vitrectomy for Vision Degrading Myodesopsia, American Academy of Ophthalmology,

Chicago, October 3, 2022 (by invitation)

Sebag J: Limited Vitrectomy Improves Visual Function in Multi-Focal Pseudophakia with Vision Degrading Myodesopsia. The Retina Society, Pasadena, California November 5, 2022 https://www.vmrinstitute.com/limited-vitrectomy-improves-visual-function-in-multi-focal-pseudophakia-with-vision-degrading-myodesopsia/

Sebag J: Vitrectomy Cures Vision Degrading Myodesopsia. International Ocular Floaters Society. December 2, 2022 (by invitation)

D. Awards & Honors

2022   Physician of Excellence, Orange County Medical Association

2022   Super Doctor of Southern California, Los Angeles Magazine

2022   International Retina Hall of Fame

2022   Best Paper Presentation, Annual Meeting of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery, Washington D.C.

Promoting research today for a better tomorrow

Attached please find part 1 of a 3-part series on VDM. As you can see, this work was supported in part by the VMR Research Foundation, which is supported in part by the VDM Project.

Thank you ALL for your interest and donations of time, talent, and money to this effort. You are appreciated.

– Dr J. Sebag

We’ll continue to make progress researching a cure, but we can only do this with your support. Your help allows us to continue the fight for clear vision.

Your VDM Team

Dear supporters,

Thanks to your generous contributions to our efforts, the VDM Project is proud to announce a list of projects completed by the VMR Research Foundation in large part due to our funding.

Click the link below to access the full report in PDF format.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Yqw182v7Qx9364dGfucbwH_xeh73if38/view

We’ll continue to make progress researching a cure, but we can only do this with your support. Your help allows us to continue the fight for clear vision.

Your VDM Team

Dear supporters,

To offer full transparency, our webinar with Dr. Sebag (dated June 5th 2022) has been recorded and is available to view.

We’ll continue to make progress researching a cure, but we can only do this with your support. Your help allows us to continue the fight for clear vision.

Your VDM Team

Dear supporters,

To offer full transparency, our webinar with Dr. Sebag (dated January 17th 2021) has been recorded and is available to view.

In this webinar, Dr. Sebag explains the latest research efforts, the exciting news of his latest publication, our Q&A session and more. We want all of our supporters to see what is happening behind the scenes and the objectives we are working toward in our mission to cure eye floaters.

We’ll continue to make progress researching a cure, but we can only do this with your support. Your help allows us to continue the fight for clear vision.

Your VDM Team

Dear VDM Project supporters,

As 2021 begins, we are continuing our fight to find a safe and effective cure for Vision Degrading Myodesopsia (Eye Floaters). As our team grows, we are uniting more sufferers and becoming a stronger force for change.

We have three exciting updates to share with you:

1) Dr. Sebag Publication:
“Vitreous and Vision Degrading Myodesopsia”

Importantly, Dr. Sebag continues to work tirelessly to have Vision Degrading Myodesopsia (eye floaters) recognized as a disease within the medical community – this is no easy task. By having this classified as a widespread problem for many people around the world, it will open the door to greater funding and research opportunities toward a cure.

Over the last two years, Dr. Sebag has authored a major article named ‘Vitreous and Vision Degrading Myodesopsia’, now published in the most prestigious journal within the eye world.

Why is this important? Because this major article shows that we are changing attitudes – Vision Degrading Myodesopsia is being classified as a disease that can impact the lives of sufferers dramatically. This article is the first of its kind and is helping the voice of eye floater sufferers become heard.

As we continue to raise more awareness and change opinions of the medical world, this will lead to more funding opportunities to expand on clinical research.

Please join us in thanking Dr. Sebag for dedicating two years to this work and congratulating him on this enormous achievement. This shows the great progress he is making within the medical world and takes us a large step closer to a floater-free future for all.

2) Dr. Sebag: Research Updates

Although we are crowdfunding to support this initial research, our key aim is to receive governmental and/or institutional funding which will allow this clinical research to take place – meaning a safer cure can be found sooner.

The below summary from Dr. Sebag outlines the projects he has been working on, and the funding he has applied for. If successful, this funding will be a key step in our fight for a cure:

Better Understanding

To better understand how vitreous causes Vision Degrading Myodesopsia (VDM), specimens removed during vitrectomy surgery for advanced cases are being studied at the Huntington Memorial Research Institute in Pasadena, California and the University of Ghent School of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Belgium.

Clinical studies on vitreous following posterior vitreous detachment (the most common cause of floaters) will be completed and published.

Clinical studies on the role of crystalline lens status on VDM will be completed and submitted for publication. This will help us understand that in certain patients vitreous induces additive effects to degrade contrast sensitivity function and that these deleterious effects can be eliminated with limited vitrectomy, improving vision and quality-of-life.

Clinical studies on the impact of myopic vitreopathy on VDM have been completed and will be published in 2021.

Better Diagnostics

A grant proposal has been submitted to the European Union to develop better imaging of vitreous with the aim to enhance diagnostic evaluation of floater sufferers.

A second grant proposal was submitted to the Polish Ministry of Health to develop better optical imaging of the human vitreous body.

A third grant proposal was submitted to an ophthalmic technology company to improve acoustic imaging (ultrasonography) of the human vitreous body.

A self-administered questionnaire will be finalized to screen large populations as well as evaluate a single individual so as to assess the impact of floaters on vision (subjectively) and quality-of-life.

Testing paradigms of the speed and accuracy of reading will be developed and implemented to better evaluate the impact of vitreous on vision and visual function in daily living.

Better Therapeutics

A grant proposal was submitted to a laser technology company to evaluate and improve YAG laser vitreolysis.

Novel nanotechnology-based treatments are currently being tested for safety in animals and will be developed for human trials.

A project will be launched to evaluate and refine the use of pharmacologic pupil dilation to lessen the severity of the disturbing visual phenomenon of floaters.

3) Fundraising: $20,000 milestone

We are incredibly grateful to all supporters for their trust and belief in this movement. Thank you to the 134 contributors who have donated to clinical research – every amount directly supporters research toward a safer cure for eye floaters.

We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to The Weatherstone Family Foundation, Inc. for their generous support of $15,000 between December 2020 and January 2021. We cannot thank you enough and your contributions will always be remembered.

As we continue grow, now more than ever we need dedicated, committed and ambitious people to help us – as we can only achieve so much alone. If you would like to apply to the VDM Project to fight for a cure with us, you can do so here.

Thank you for your continued belief, and we are more positive about the future than we ever have been,
Your VDM Team

VDM Project: One Year Update

Dear VDM Supporters,

As 2020 comes to a close, we wanted to update you on the status of the VDM Project one year after launch. While the year has been difficult for many people across the globe, we have worked hard to make progress in our fight to research a safe and effective cure for eye floaters.

Firstly, we would like to thank everybody who believes in the movement and has supported us in our goals thus far. We could not exist without your support. Secondly, we would like to thank those members of the VDM Project who have been proactive, created ideas and volunteered their own time to contributing toward clear vision for everyone.

Publications by Dr. Jerry Sebag

With his platform and scientific knowledge, Dr. Sebag is actively publishing research articles to help change perceptions of eye floaters and raise awareness for sufferers.

If VDM (eye floaters) is to be recognized as a disease within the medical community, it must be researched and proven. Dr. Sebag has worked relentlessly (and continues to do so) to change the misinformed belief that eye floaters are not a problem.

It cannot be overstated how important this is to the VDM Project and eye floater sufferers globally.

Dr. Sebag’s latest publication titled Vitreous and Vision Degrading Myodesopsia has recently been published in Progress in Retinal and Eye Research. This one of the most famous and respected ophthalmology journals in the world. The publication is an enormous achievement for Dr. Sebag and an essential step toward having eye floaters recognized as a problem.

The abstract and further information can be found here:

We would like to thank Dr. Sebag for his continued efforts in helping all eye floater sufferers.

Research Goals

The list of our aims and objectives can be found on our website.

Our overarching goal is to receive governmental and/or institutional funding which will cover costs for clinical research. To achieve this, we must prove that Vision Degrading Mydesopsia (eye floaters) is a problem which negatively impacts the lives of sufferers. At present, the medical community largely does not believe that eye floaters are an issue, so little research is taking place.

With your support, we believe we can complete these projects with adequate funding. These will give us quantifiable data which Dr. Sebag can utilize to change perceptions of eye floaters within the medical field.

These projects can only be undertaken when we have raised enough money. There are many variable factors involved, including (but not limited to) labor costs, equipment costs, distribution, consultation and more. The faster we can raise the money to fund these, the faster we can begin them.

Fundraising Goals

We launched our latest fundraising initiative on December 1^st here. Thank you to the 84 people who have donated so far.

Our aim is to raise $10,000 USD per month to contribute toward the Tri-Project Proposal outlined above. We will always be transparent with supporters – this is not a short-term investment as scientific research costs are much higher than this. The $10,000 per month goal, if achieved, will give us the foundation and basis to begin these projects and change medical perceptions. This will greatly increase our likelihood of receiving governmental grants to fund clinical research, helping us in our goal to cure eye floaters.

We want to thank all those who have contributed to this, and a very special thank you to The Weatherstone Family Foundation Inc. who donated $5,000 USD! Your support is the only way our project is able to continue.

Updated Website & Social Media Launch

The new website shows how much we have grown as an organization in a short amount of time. This will be beneficial for outreach and to make our voices heard. Our objectives, aims and goals are now much clearer than before.

Thanks to dedicated social media volunteers, we are now constantly active across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, with content planned for YouTube at a later date. Simply search ‘VDM Project’ on these websites to join us and stay updated.

Challenges which the VDM Project Faces

Creating an organization with the aim of changing medical perceptions globally is not a simple task. The VDM Project consists entirely of unpaid volunteers who themselves suffer from eye floaters – wanting to make a positive change in the world.

“The VDM Project is a scam”

We completely understand that scams exist and target people who are desperately searching for help. The VDM Project exists to support the VMR Research Foundation, a research institute created by Dr. Sebag. The VMR Research Foundation is a registered charity with the IRS Registration EIN: 61-1888947.

As the project grows, we will continue to maintain full transparency with supporters to show our exact plans and initiatives. We have also made our goals and fundraising targets clear, while being open and honest about research aims.

Fraudulent websites would likely not be registered with the IRS, nor would they be endorsed and led by an internationally-renowned medical professional. Our fundraising platform has been verified as a legitimate charity, which would not happen if we were attempting to scam anyone. Dr. Sebag also provides tax receipts for substantial donations.

As well as supporting and educating people, we are crowdfunding to achieve the research projects listed above. Without funding, this would not be possible. Scientific research is neither free nor cheap, and we are working our hardest to be successful with no budget at all. All money donated directly funds Dr. Sebag’s research, and all members of the VDM Project work entirely for free.

Recruiting Mastermind Team Members

While we have made strong progress in a short amount of time, this is due to the efforts of a very small number of volunteers utilizing their own skillsets. To put it simply, it is difficult to recruit people who are both able and willing to assist.

Our capabilities are hindered by needing more volunteers who are proactive and willing to create ideas which will benefit the project.

Although we welcome all applications, some of our main focus areas are: SEO / Project Management / Video Creation / Social Media Executives / Media Outreach / Philanthropy Outreach / Graphic Designers / 3D Designers.

If you are interested in applying to the VDM Project, please do so here:

Increasing our reach

Currently, the VDM Project is only known to eye floater sufferers who have found us online. While this is a good starting point, we must reach eye floater sufferers who have never heard of us – of which there are many.

How do we do this? Paid advertising is the standard, but we do not have a budget for this. Instead, we rely on word-of-mouth from supporters to spread the message of the VDM Project. Although this is invaluable and greatly appreciated, we must extend our reach much, much further.

The VDM Project is also actively seeking influential people, influencers, celebrities etc. who suffer from eye floaters. It is our aim to connect with these people and spread the VDM Project message. We rely on our followers to help us with this – please contact us if you know of anybody that could be useful.

We are still formulating more ways we can achieve this in 2021, but we welcome all suggestions which can help. The more people who know about the VDM Project, the more we can achieve in a shorter amount of time.

Final Donations for 2020

We have hit 85% of our $10,000 target for December 2020. You can help us reach our goal here:

As we close out this year, and as you are getting ready to prepare taxes, please keep in mind that all donations you give to the VDM Project are tax deductible. We give 100% of any donations we receive to Dr. Sebag’s research foundation. The VMR Research Foundation is headquartered in Huntington Beach, California and is a 501(c)(3) organization. EIN: 61-1888947. The IRS NTEE classification code is H41, Eye Research within the Medical Research category.

Finally, we would like to thank everyone again for their support. We can only exist as a project with your trust and belief, and we are working tirelessly to research a cure for eye floaters. For this to happen, we must continue to grow and fight for our voices to be heard. Only together can we achieve this.

Let’s continue to unite for clear vision.
Your VDM Team

Dear VDM Supporters,

We previously asked followers of our Instagram Page to submit any questions they have about the VDM Project. We wish to offer full transparency on our plans and goals because we can only exist with the support of our followers. Thank you to everybody who submitted questions to us.

Q: How many subscribers does the VDM Project currently have, and have we reached 10,000 subscribers yet?

A: We currently have approximately 3000 subscribers. In the beginning, we set a goal of acquiring 10,000 subscribers.

Leaders of the VDM Project felt that this number would help formulate a high pressure group to provide more funding for research and to help our educational efforts to spread the word to find a cure for eye floaters sooner.

While still focusing on attaining this goal of 10,000 subscribers, we are also working on putting out more content to the subscribers we currently have and putting an even greater focus on supporting the collaborative research projects being worked on by Dr. Jerry Sebag and other researchers and research entities around the world.

Q: What is the best way to help the VDM Project?

A: We need donations to help fund the research being done by Dr. Sebag at the VMR Institute. We appreciate any donations you can afford to give the VDM Project. If you cannot afford to donate at this time, there are other ways you can help us.

We need to educate and inform others about the important research being done on eye floaters and the existence of our organization.

You can help us spread the word by encouraging your friends and family to join the VDM Project. You can share our social media links on Instagram and Facebook. If you have a particular skillset you would like to share, please let us know. We welcome your assistance.

Q: How can I join the VDM Project?

A: It is simple! Just click the link:

Q: How much money are VDM Project leaders paid?

A: Nothing. Zero. Zilch. All leaders are strictly volunteers. They work hard to provide information and content to subscribers like you, and they each have key roles within the organization depending on their work experience and skillsets.

We have leaders who are writers, editors, technology and social media experts, and others who reach out to scientists and doctors around the world and connect them to Dr. Sebag.

Our goal is to unite all of us sufferers and to initiate collaborative efforts to cure eye floaters. 100% of any funds we receive are sent to Dr. Sebag’s research organization, the VMR Institute. It is NOT our goal to acquire any money for ourselves, but rather to fund legitimate research projects.

Q: When will there be a cure for eye floaters?

A: This is the question we all want to know. We want a cure as soon as possible. We understand the pain and suffering eye floater sufferers experience because we are sufferers ourselves. This is precisely why we have taken action to contribute to the cause to find the cure.

We are striving to bring more attention to the issue and garnish more funding to eradicate eye floaters as soon as possible. It takes time for research to be done and tested. We cannot give you a specific answer yet as to when a cure will be found, but we can tell you that much more attention has been given to eye floaters recently and that researchers are currently working to find the cure.

We encourage you to spread the word about your floaters and unite with us to help raise more awareness. We appreciate all of you and encourage you to unite with us for better vision.

Q: Will the VDM Project create merchandise (such as sweaters, shirts, stickers, etc.) that people can buy, with proceeds going to research?

A: We are always looking for ways to raise funds for research, and welcome all suggestions. A key issue with selling merchandise is the initial cost of printing and delivering around the world.

At the moment, we do not believe there is enough demand to make a profit from this, but we will definitely consider it if enough VDM Project supporters show interest.

Q: Where are donations going?

A: All of our plans for donations are available on our Research Plans page.

Q: Are there any plans for the future to research eye floaters for other visual phenomena (such as afterimages – often mentioned by sufferers)?

A: Not at the present time.

Q: Will the cure remove 100% of the floaters or reduce them in the same way the YAG laser intends to?

A: This is difficult to predict. Dr. Sebag’s experience with vitrectomy indicates that only the central opacities need to be removed for the patient to experience an improvement of their symptoms. We must undergo further research before we are able to give a definitive answer.

Q: What type of cure are you planning to research? I.e. Pharmaceutical, surgical, laser treatment, natural?

A: There will be different treatments for different subtypes. At present, we only know two different ones: myopic vitreopathy and age-related vitreous degeneration with PVD. While vitrectomy works for both, the future will likely see certain lasers for one but not the other. Also, we need to understand the sub-types better before we know how to approach curing each one.

Q: Do eye floaters get worse? What makes them worse?

A: Continued aggregation of vitreous collagen since vitreous echodensity continues to increase. With age, the vitreous begins to liquify which can cause ‘clumps’ of vitreous collagen, perceived as eye floaters.

People can also experience a sudden increase in visual opacities due to trauma (damage to the eye) and after undergoing Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD).

The VDM Project can only continue our plans to research a cure for eye floaters with your support. Please consider donating to allow the organization to continue.