Retina Foundation of the Southwest
Leading Research... Saving Sight
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Vision loss affects half of the human race. For many people, their reduced vision is correctable with a pair of glasses. However, our patients suffer from debilitating vision loss for which there is no effective treatment or cure. The Retina Foundation is an international leader in research for pediatric eye conditions, inherited eye diseases, and age-related macular degeneration. As a result of the Retina Foundation's work, approximately 2,000 infants, children, and adults are seen each year free of charge and given the information, treatment, and hope they need to cope with their eye condition or disease.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Vision Research and Clinical Trials
The Retina Foundation of the Southwest is one of the country's premier eye research institutes. Currently, the Retina Foundation has five laboratories, a regional database of patients with inherited retinal degenerations, and a staff of scientists who conduct cutting-edge research into the causes and treatments of vision loss. Retina Foundation is a leader in research on pediatric eye conditions, inherited eye diseases, and age-related macular degeneration. Our research involves clinical studies to translate scientific discoveries into medical treatments and cures for vision loss. Our labs also serve as a vision evaluation center for pediatric ophthalmologists and retinal specialists to refer their patients for free in-depth vision evaulations.
Our scientists are nationally recognized and supported by prominent federal agencies, including the National Eye Institute (NEI), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB). Clinical trial studies at the Retina Foundation are leading the industry in developing new therapies, medical techniques and nutritional standards for eye conditions for which no treatments currently exist. We have 60 ongoing studies, including (1) a drug delivery study to improve the treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration; (2) a new binocular approach to amblyopia (lazy eye) treatment, using iPad games and movies to help the two eyes learn to work together; and (3) a gene therapy study to provide low vision to patients who are otherwise blind from retinitis pigmentosa.
Where we work
Awards
Marshall M. Parks Invited Lecturer (Dr. Eileen Birch) 2002
American Academy of Ophthalmology
Affiliations & memberships
Member, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (Dr. Yi-Zhong Wang) 2019
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of publications and book chapters
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Vision Research and Clinical Trials
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of annual appointments for children and adults with vision loss
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Vision Research and Clinical Trials
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The mission of the Retina Foundation of the Southwest is to prevent and restore vision loss through innovative research and treatment. The Retina Foundation has continued to advance in every direction since its start in 1982. This past year our Board of Directors finalized the 2020-2022 Strategic Plan for the Foundation, which provides a roadmap for significant future progress and allows our cutting-edge research to continue.
Our updated vision statement is: The Retina Foundation of the Southwest is the leading translational research institution that develops breakthrough technologies and treatments for pediatric and retinal eye conditions. Translational research acts as a bridge between science and practice. It links laboratory science with patients and potential treatments for disease.
Our 2020-2022 Strategic Plan goal are as follows:
(1) Develop a plan to ensure adequate space for growth beyond the Foundation’s current capacity.
(2) Attract innovative and cutting-edge scientists to fill our current lab space, while building for future transitions and growth.
(3) Raise $6 million from individual donations and foundation grants to fund two new laboratory directors to expand our research on age-related macular degeneration and inherited eye diseases.
(4) Organize administrative responsibilities to optimize operations and build a foundation for growth.
(5) Build stronger brand awareness of the Foundation in our local community and increase the overall reach of the Foundation.
(6) Diversify revenue sources to ensure financial growth.
(7) Engage the staff in bringing to life the vision of being the leading translational research institution for our three core areas.
(8) Engage the Board of Directors to help the Foundation’s CEO implement all aspects of the Strategic Plan with a high level of staff support.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Below are the organization's strategies for each of our 2020-2022 Strategic Plan goals:
(1) In order to develop a plan to ensure adequate space for growth beyond the Foundation’s current capacity, we plan to engage a space planner to optimize space in the building and align our space with the determined needs.
(2) To attract innovative and cutting-edge scientists to fill our current lab space, we plan to leverage our translational and clinical capabilities and explore collaboration opportunities with local universities.
(3) In order to raise the $6 million needed to fund two new laboratory directors to expand our research on age-related macular degeneration and inherited eye diseases, we are identifying donors and building donor relationships. We are focusing on large donations from key donors.
(4) We will organize administrative responsibilities to optimize operations and build a foundation for growth by assessing our current job functions and offering continuing education in critical function areas.
(5) To build stronger brand awareness of the Foundation, we plan to utilize our volunteers to assist us with our marketing and communication. We plan to increase the number of people that the Foundation reaches with its messages and audit all current marketing materials and strategies for quality, accuracy, consistency, and relevance. We will highlight our scientific discoveries through testimonials from patients and validate with journal publications. Our final strategy is to develop a plan to educate donors on the meanings and significance of "translational" research.
(6) To diversify revenue sources to ensure financial growth, we plan to consider other ways to earn revenue.
(7) In order to engage the staff in bringing to life the vision of being the leading translational research institution for our three core areas, we will educate our staff and create job descriptions to match our new organizational structure.
(8) Finally, we plan to engage the Board of Directors to help the Foundation’s CEO implement all aspects of the Strategic Plan with a high level of staff support. Our Board will establish a set of accountability measures, ensure a succession process is in place for key personnel, support the CEO by providing on-going mentoring, guidance, and feedback, and ensure that the CEO implements the new Strategic Plan.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Retina Foundation Board of Directors are charged with determining our strategic direction, securing sustainable resources, and providing governance and operational oversight. Karl Csaky, M.D., Ph.D. became the Chief Executive and Medical Officer of the Retina Foundation in December of 2019 and has been charged with implementing all aspects of our Strategic Plan. Our Board and Dr. Csaky receive a high level of staff support to ensure the goals outlined in our Strategic Plan are met or exceeded.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Below is a description of our organization's progress for each of our 2020-2022 Strategic Plan goals as of September 2020:
(1) We have not yet engaged a space planner but plan to do so within the next 2 years.
(2) To attract innovative and cutting-edge scientists to fill our current lab space, the Retina Foundation has formed a search committee with leaders in the field of vision research to help us identify and bring in new lead scientists to establish their own labs at the Retina Foundation and help us further advance our mission.
(3) As of August 31, 2020, we have made significant progress in identifying donors and building donor relationships. To date, we have raised $1,473,000 towards our goal of $6 million and are well on our way to being able to extend offers to the two new laboratory directors to join our internationally renowned team at the Retina Foundation.
(4) We have started to organize administrative responsibilities. Our Development team has outlined each member's current job functions and identified areas of need. Our Finance team has engaged with a financial forecaster to evaluate current and future fiscal conditions to guide policy and programmatic decisions.
(5) We are working with our Marketing/PR Committee to build stronger brand awareness of the Foundation.
(6) To diversify revenue sources to ensure financial growth, we have begun the process of identifying and exploring different ways to earn revenue.
(7) In order to engage the staff in bringing to life the vision of being the leading translational research institution for our three core areas, we received feedback from staff members during the strategic planning process, presented the final strategic plan/goals to our full staff, and are bringing different teams in to help execute our goals.
(8) The Executive Committee on our Board of Directors is helping our Foundation’s CEO to implement all aspects of the Strategic Plan.
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Retina Foundation of the Southwest
Board of directorsas of 01/05/2023
Mrs. Tia Tomlin
Hilltop Securities Independent Network Inc.
Term: 2019 - 2021
Tia S. Tomlin
Hilltop Securities Independent Network Inc.
Rajiv Anand, MD
Texas Retina Associates
Diane Boddy
Community Volunteer
David Callanan, MD
Texas Retina Associates
Mehmet Candas, PhD
University of Texas at Dallas
Lois J. Carver
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Alex M. Cena
Morgan Stanley
Lori Dao, MD
Pediatric Ophthalmology & Adult Strabismus
Laurie Dotter
Community Volunteer
Steven Eisnaugle
Wealth Advisor
Louis J. Grabowsky
Juniper Capital Management
Rebecca Hicks
Hicks Law Group, PLLC
William Hutton, MD
Co-Founder, Retina Foundation
Marc H. Klein
Holland & Knight
Richard A. Massman
Hunt Consolidated (Ret.)
James H. Merritt, MD
Oculoplastic Associates of Texas
Mickey Munir
Sharif & Munir Custom Homes
Evelyn J. Pulliam
Toyota Financial Services
Nancy Rogers
Community Volunteer
Therese Rourk
Compass Real Estate
Kristy Sands
Community Volunteer
Richard J. Schaar
Texas Instruments (Ret.)
Rand Spencer, MD
Texas Retina Associates
Robert C. Wang, MD
Texas Retina Associates
Reham El-Sherazi, CPA
Lane Gorman Trubitt, LLC
Stacey Thompson
Dell Technologies
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes