Request:
Dear Dr. Heckenlively,
I'm a floater sufferer and togheter with other
Italian sufferer, we are
building up a Web site with the aim to inform
about the floater problem and
support the research.
We have prepared a page dedicated to the
research JSEI project in wich we
propose to make donation.
[....]
We are working to bring as many possible
sufferers to our Werb site in
order to create a big force, make consistent
donation to your project and
try to start other project.
Many people asked us how to make donation. So
can you suggest some easly
way to do that ?
If you, some time, could spend 2 row to resume
the last progress of your
reasearch project we can insert in you Web
space in order to sponsor your
reasearch that for ALL us is the only hope.
Thanks a lot for your attention.
Answer:
[ ..] Research on Vitreoretinal Diseases
including floaters
The Jules Stein Eye Institute is pleased to
announce the founding of a new research effort
to investigate a number of vitreoretinal
diseases. Thisproject was originally stimulated by a large
number of patients who contacted the Institute
asking if we were conducting research on “floaters”.
While there was no specific program to look at
floaters, Jules Stein has had a long-standing
pathology program to look at all diseases of
the eye. After discussion among faculty members,
enthusiasm developed to more specifically
investigate vitreoretinal diseases. Recently,
a friend of Jules Stein Eye Institute donated
funding that will cover the expense of
examining the tissues samples described below.
One of the first studies that the vitreoretinal
diseases project will undertake will be to
investigate the subject of “floaters”.
Floaters are condensates in the vitreous gel
inside the eye that may range from a few
hair-like stands that float across the vision,
to a large about of debris-material in the
vision, which can be very distracting to
patients. Most patients with floaters notice
them, but do not find them overt distracting.
However, a minority of patients find their
floaters overwhelmingly difficult to tolerate.
It is our intention to initially investigate
the causes and types of floaters
using the latest molecular analytical
techniques in autopsy eyes. This
investigation will examine the changes in the
vitreous gel with age, in
patients with severe floaters against patients
of similar ages who do not have significant
floaters. A second clinically oriented study
will examine patients using a battery of
noninvasive tests to see if factors can be
identified which account for the intolerance
that some patients have to floaters.
The investigations will be limited by the
amount of funding that is available.
Donations will be gratefully accepted to help
with this undertaking.
Remittances can be directed to: Jules Stein Eye
Institute, Development Office, 100 Stein Plaza
- UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095 (telephone
310 825 4148). Checks in US dollars should be
made out to the “Regents, U.C.” with anotation
"Floater research fund".
Sincerely yours,
Bartly J. Mondino, M.D.
Director
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The initial donations are meant to allow for
some pilot studies, and once we have
preliminary evidence a grant proposal can be
written.
Ricerca Medica
