Category: Uncategorized

Official: VDM Research Projects

Dear VDM Project supporter,

The day has finally arrived where we can accomplish success with three important research projects on eye floaters.

These projects will allow us to get closer to the final goal of developing a less invasive cure for the treatment of eye floaters.

As mentioned in the previous newsletter, the VMR Foundation has developed a plan for three important research projects which must be supported by funds in order for a cure to be developed as soon as possible.

The research projects in question are:

1. Discovering the Origin of Eye Floaters

Our short-term goal is to cure this disease, and our long-term goal is to prevent it.

To do this, our researchers need to gain a better knowledge of eye floaters at a molecular level. For a cure to be found, a better understanding of eye floaters is essential. As a combined effort between the VMR Research Foundation and the Huntington Medical Research Institute, both organizations strongly believe this project to be fundamental in understanding how eye floaters develop – and how they can be both treated safely today, as well as prevented tomorrow.

2. Myopia and Eye Floaters

Near-sightedness (myopia) has a strong correlation with eye floaters, but the reason why is currently unknown.

Project Two will assess the changes in the eyes of patients with eye floaters to better understand how and why this condition occurs. Due to myopia levels increasing dramatically worldwide (estimated to affect 5 billion people per year by 2050), this project is necessary to gain the attention of governments and medical institutes globally. Once we have sufficient data to prove this, funding toward a cure is much more likely, meaning a floater-free future for sufferers

3. Vitreous Floaters Functional Questionnaire

One of our key strategies in having this disease recognized by Governments, Medical Institutes and Researchers is to show the widespread prevalence of eye floaters.

Currently, a questionnaire frequently used by the U.S. National Eye Institute does not adequately show how eye floaters negatively impact the lives of sufferers. We aim to change this. With a new questionnaire created and distributed by the VMR Research Foundation to measure the negative impact of eye floaters with quantifiable data, we can measure the magnitude of this problem. This vital questionnaire will greatly strengthen our ability to apply for medical research funding and is a vital step to curing eye floaters. We also anticipate that this questionnaire will provide sufferers with feedback on the severity of their disease.

Each of these research projects plays a fundamental role in promoting eye floaters to be recognized as an eye disease and receive support from the pharmaceutical industry to implement innovative solutions and find a definitive and less invasive cure than those currently available.

Further information is availavble on our Research Plans page with all the details of the projects, the objectives and how the funds will be utilized.

How can you help the VMR Research Foundation?

You may be wondering how you can help the foundation accomplish success with the research program. The answer is simple.

Funds and donations are needed to allow the foundation to acquire the necessary resources and fully develop the proposed research.

The VDM Project is organizing monthly fundraising objectives starting today to allow you to be part of the fight against eye floaters and become an active participant in the research projects.

Through your contribution and those from others, we will be able to unite in the fight against eye floaters and to win. Every donation is important.

This page has only one goal, which is to give you the details with full transparency and professionalism.

Now it’s your turn to support the VDM Project and contribute to the mission that will help millions of people around the world to finally find peace, definitively defeating eye floaters.

A united pursuit is happening now.

We are counting on you, and we greatly appreciate your assistance.

Unite For Clear Vision

VDM PROJECT TEAM

VDM Project Update | September 2020

Dear VDM supporter,

The month of August was a very important period for the VDM Project.

The VDM Mastermind Team worked consistently with Dr. Sebag and the VMR Research Foundation to precisely define the most important projects to further the research on eye floaters.

In this article we list some important goals that the VDM Team has managed to achieve, and at the end of this article we will announce the exact date of the beginning of a new chapter for the VDM project.

Achievement One

The VDM Project has always highlighted the importance of working on improved vitreous imaging to allow a better understanding of the condition, to find new treatment methods and to define the objective severity of the problem.

There were two essential projects for this milestone. One was developed in Poland and involved the development of a 3D OCT for viewing the vitreous body of the eye in three dimensions.

The other project was developed by Columbia University, in collaboration with VMRR, and focused on the enhancement of ultrasound imaging to better visualize the vitreous and to better diagnose the severity of this condition.

We are pleased to confirm that the project in Poland is in the process of obtaining a renewal of a government grant, while Columbia University, together with Dr Sebag, has prepared a very detailed grant proposal that has the possibility of being accepted by the American National Institute of Health (NIH) which will allocate a consistent sum of money that would guarantee the development of this important research.

Both projects are very important for the VDM Project, and we are glad to announce there is a big possibility that both of them will move forward and give sufferers new hope to be better diagnosed after acquiring eye floaters.

What can you do to help us?

Simply support the VDM Project, sharing its existence with everyone you know to increase understanding of this condition.

The more awareness that is created, the more likely it will be to confirm research funds to continue with important projects regarding the development of 3D imaging.

Governments are happy to offer grants for research which aim to make a difference in treating impactful health conditions and better the life of their citizens.

Achievement Two

From the moment of its birth on January 1, 2020, the VDM Project had as its first goal to bring together eye floater sufferers under a united movement.

After the initial difficulties, skepticism and criticism from those who thought that this was just one of those projects destined to end in nothing, today the VDM Project has completed the startup of the project thanks to the birth of the VDM Mastermind Team.

This team is an international mastermind comprised entirely of eye floater sufferers who work closely with Dr. Sebag, creating synergy around the world to raise awareness of the condition of eye floaters.

Starting from nothing, today the VDM Mastermind Team has over 40 members from all over the world who consistently communicate and move forward with the project, united and confident of its success.

The VDM Mastermind team ensures that the project keeps moving forward and that the goals are achieved day after day with continuous contact with Dr. Jerry Sebag and his research team.

What can you do to support us?

If you feel that you want to be part of this incredible mastermind team and become a protagonist for the progress of the VDM Project, you can click here and request to join the group.

Your talent could make a big difference in the success of the VDM Project.

NEW PHASE: SUPPORT THE RESEARCH

On October 1st, 2020 a fundraising campaign will begin for three independent research projects developed by Dr. Sebag and the VMR Research Foundation.

These are three research projects which, if completed, will take us one step closer to developing an effective non-invasive treatment for eye floaters.

What can you do to help us?

In the next few days the specific details of these projects, the monthly goals to be achieved and how you can be part of them will be released.

Keep an eye on your e-mail, as you will receive an important update in the next few days.

Remember, if we join as one great movement, we can achieve our goal of curing eye floaters.

Let’s unite for clear vision!

VDM PROJECT TEAM

How To Cope With Eye Floaters

As a team of eye floater sufferers ourselves, we understand how it feels to live with this condition.

As well as fundraising researching a cure, we also want to spread hope, positivity and guidance to all those who feel the same way we do. For this reason we’ve created a ‘How To Cope With Eye Floaters’ PDF with useful advice, hints, links and more.

These are some of the things that have helped us the most – do you have anything that has made life easier for you? Let us know on our Instagram page.

All information in the PDF is advisory only, and does not substitute professional medical advice. Please contact a medical professional if you are experiencing any health issues.

Latest developments in the VDM Project – July 2020

Dear VDM Project supporters, welcome to this latest update of the project, we’re excited to share some new developments of the past couple of months.

As you may know, our first target is to develop better technology and techniques for imaging vitreous, which is essential to develop better diagnostic and treatment modalities. The most promising work in this field so far has been using ultrasound technology.

Ultrasound Imaging

The use of ultrasound to provide assessment of vitreous has been in development for around 5 years. It is extremely useful to quantify vitreous disease severity and the response to therapy. However, there is still work to be done with new advances in ultrasound technology that can provide much higher resolution and more accurate imaging.

The next step for the work at VMR Research is to incorporate the use of a new probe that has 5 sensors, as opposed to the single array that has been used to date. This should help achieve much better quality images. A VMR Research collaborator presented this new 5-in-one ultrasound probe at the World Ophthalmology Congress. (26 – 29 June 2020). We will send out more news on this presentation as soon as we can.

This ultrasound research and development will be done in partnership with Columbia University and Riverside Research in New York. Future ultrasound studies will not only measure the size and number of floaters, but also analyze the importance of location within the vitreous body.

It is hoped that dynamic assessment of vitreous displacement during eye movement will more closely replicate the patient experience during reading and driving. This should provide new ways to assess severity of disease and the response to therapy.

As patients, we know that activities like reading and playing sport are made much more challenging by moving eye floaters, so this research will be a significant step in helping to better understand VDM and its impact upon quality-of-life.

Further information

For anyone interested in learning more about the use of ultrasound in quantifying vitreous floaters, and some of the work Professor Sebag has completed so far, this article is a good starting point: https://iovs.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2212941

Additionally, videos of vitreous ultrasonography: 
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/by5axb4c41lq0wg/AABWkpwelG_gqkkY9ljbsspAa?dl=0

Alternative imaging research: OCT – Optical Coherence Tomography

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) technology uses light instead of sound to create an image, and can show the microstructure and anatomy of the inside and back of the eye. In vitreous, OCT could enableprecise localization e of the opacities that cause floaters and Vision Degrading Myodesopsia (VDM)..

Currently, OCT only images the back part of the vitreous body, which is not very useful for the study of VDM in research and the evaluation of patients in practice. Research teams working in Poland (Nicolas Copernicus University) and Spain (University of Murcia) are collaborating with VMR Research to develop new OCT technology to image the entire vitreous body. This is a big step forward, and plans are to make this imaging 3-dimensional, providing a comprehensive assessment of the human vitreous body in vivo.

How is the VDM Project using donations?

Up to now, the donations sent to the VDM Project have been used to directly support Professor Sebag and his team at VMR Research. 

The VMR Institute have recently submitted an article to the American Journal of Ophthalmology which provides a detailed examination of myopia and its relation to vitreous structure and function. This is an important subject for the VDM Project because myopia is the second leading cause of VDM. Also by publishing this work new interest will be generated amongst the professional community, creating more opportunities for R&D collaboration in future.  The article is currently in the review stage and is expected to be published in around 4 – 6  months’ time, the normal time-frame for scientific publications.

Going forward, donations will partly be used to support the work on imaging vitreous using ultrasound technology, as described above, the OCT imaging project, as well as other projects studying VDM in different patient groups, such as those who have had cataract surgery.

There are also plans for public health outreach to the global community of floater sufferers and public awareness campaigns to raise general awareness of this important problem.

How to support this work

We hope everyone will sign up to the newsletter and help spread the word about the VDM Project. It is critical that we continue to grow our community to reach as many people as possible, and to increase our influence to change perceptions in the medical community.

Thanks again for supporting this unique project, we have confidence that it will succeed and we hope you share this confidence.

Let’s unite for clear vision.

Dymock Brett | VDM Project Leadership Team

May has been a very important month for the VDM Project 

On April 26th an important webinar presentation with Dr.Sebag revealed to the world the background, purpose and future aims of the VDM Project. Please take the time to watch this video to understand what we are doing, and how we want to cure eye floaters for all.

Next Steps

We are now speeding up Phase One and we need your help to do so. So, here are some things you can do: 

1) Sign up for the newsletter below and become part of the pressure group, a group that will be essential when requesting support of institutions and philanthropists. 

2) Ask two people you know that have eye floaters or want to help the cause to also sign up to the newsletter. 

Staff Announcement

We are very happy to announce that we have added a new member to the VDM Mastermind Team, Edyta Andrzejczak – an experienced professional who will be in charge of managing the development and goals of our project.

This Mastermind Team will be important in the development of the project as we will assign each member specific tasks to make the VDM Project a global movement capable of raising awareness and funds for research in any language and any country in the world. If you feel you have a skill and you want to help the project from the inside, please Apply to join the VDM Mastermind Team

Goal Progress

Regarding the goals we are striving to achieve and our current progress: We have 1334 subscribers to the newsletter at the moment, and we have a goal of 10,000 to create an effective pressure group. 

Please remember that signing up to the newsletter is essential if you want to receive updates on the project. Sometimes updates can get missed or lost on social media so the newsletter is the best way to stay connected to the project.  

Fundraising Progress

Regarding fundraising, we now have a number of supporters who have very generously made donations, and we consider that a very encouraging beginning. As explained in the webinar, all funds go directly to Dr Sebag and his VMR Research Foundation.  

Please consider a monthly support for the project – continued support is the only way we can achieve our plans of a cure.

Please be aware that this vault is a work in progress and it will keep expanding as our project and knowledge grows. If you want to help us, please record a quick testimonial and follow the instructions here.

We also have plans to begin an extensive ad campaign with the help of a Google Grant which we have been awarded, to help us cover more and more geographic areas.

Remember, if we all UNITE, this project will be the bridge for a better and less invasive cure for this condition. 

Let’s Unite For Clear Vision. 

Your VDM TEAM

Google Supports VDM Project With $10k per Month Ad Budget

Dear VDM Supporter,

We are excited to announce that as of this week Google are now on our side. After an exenstive application process, the VDM Project has been awarded a Google Grant of $10,000 USD per month, which we will be using to create awareness and increase the size of our community. 

Together we are stronger!

This endorsement from Google is so positive for two key reasons – firstly of course it gives us a monthy budget to access their search campaign resources, and enables us to reach a global audience of floaters sufferers, so they can be made aware of the VDM Project and Join the Fight. The more our community grows, the more influence we will have upon the research industry and medical professionals.

Secondly, it demonstrates that the No.1 brand in the world has recognised the VDM Project as a legitimate cause that derserves support, and we a very proud of this acheivement.

As always, thanks for supporting the VDM Project and please keep a look out for more news coming soon! See below the approval from Google Grants Team.

Video update –
Vitreous imaging of a patient suffering from eye floaters

The VDM Project has defined as one of its first goals the development of better and more informative imaging to enable new treatment options.  In order to adequately evaluate vitreous structure and correctly diagnose Vision Degrading Myodesopsia (VDM), and to test the success of future treatments and trials, we need new and better technologies to image human vitreous.

In this video, Professor Sebag discusses the images obtained using an optical imaging technology called Optical Coherence Tomography, or OCT. 

With this technology you can clearly see the opacities within the vitreous body that interfere with the passage of light from the front of the eye to the inside of the back of the eye (bottom of scan), casting shadows that are perceived  as “eye floaters”.

Professor Sebag explains the basic anatomy and structure of the eye, and then clarifies the benefits of this new technology and others, such as ultrasound, that can be used to image the vitreous body.

He explains that in addition to these qualitative images, there is a need to accurately quantify vitreous opacities in the eye (detailing their number, size and distribution), to effectively diagnose the patient. With these tools in place, eye doctors will be able to identify cases in which the patient’s condition can be diagnosed as Vision Degrading Myodesopsia (VDM), which are the cases that merit treatment.

The video is just 5 minutes – it is a good introduction to the field of vitreous imaging and we hope that, with your support, we will have more updates to share in the future regarding the progress of imaging research teams working with the VDM Project.

We are organizing a playlist of video testimonials from the community of eye floater sufferers

To strengthen our cause and tell the stories of everybody suffering from eye floaters, video testimonials will help change the perception in the medical community.

Simply share your story with eye floaters and share your advice for people looking for hope.

Let us know in the video:

1) How long ago did your eye floaters appear?

2) What aspects of your life have changed?

3) Have your eye floaters got worse over time?

4) How do you cope day-to-day?

5) What suggestions would you give to someone that just got eye floaters?

MAXIMUM DURATION OF THE VIDEO: 3 MINUTES.
Longer videos will NOT be considered.

Please follow the instructions above while recording your video. Once complete, send this as a WeTransfer link to us at:

Apply to join the VDM Mastermind Team today

Since we launched the VDM Project at the start of this year, we are developing a dedicated Mastermind Group. The more members that are within our organisation, the faster we can work to reach a cure for eye floaters.

For the VDM Project to be a success, we need a strong network and the ability to influence a variety of important stakeholders such as doctors, researchers and technology companies.

We are currently looking for new members to join our VDM Mastermind Group. This will be a select group of individuals who are committed and motivated to make a difference and work towards the goals of the VDM Project.

Criteria

We are looking to run the Mastermind Group in a similar way to an ambitious company that looks for the most effective way to achieve success, so we need a variety of skills ranging from social media, direct networking, fundraising, translation, and more.

Please be aware that everyone in the VDM Project and the VDM Mastermind Group are volunteers, although we may have access to some funds for marketing purposes in the future.

If you are interested in helping us cure eye floaters, please follow the link below to submit an application. This will help us to understand your skills and motivations, and how we can build the team.

Successful applicants will be given access to the VDM Project Mastermind Facebook group and other resources that we share as we work together.

If you have any questions please email us at info@vdmresearch.org

VDM Project – Unite for Clear Vision.

VDM Project – Explained by our leader, Dr. Sebag

In this video Dr. Sebag explains his role in founding VMR Research and the purpose of the VDM Project to support his work into the vitreous.  He also explains the new term VDM, and how it is used to describe clinically significant cases of vitreous eye floaters.

We are presenting this video to make it clear that Dr Sebag endorses the VDM Project and our community, and that he hopes that through outreach and education we can build a movement that will lead to new discoveries and treatment possibilities for VDM.

Please take a moment to view the video below: