The Council of ISER accepted a proposal from the Retina Research Foundation (RRF), Houston, Texas, to present the Foundation's Paul Kayser International Award in Retina Research at ISER's biennial congresses beginning in 1986. Nominees for and recipients of the award are selected by Foundation officials interacting with a committee appointed by the ISER Council.

Founded in 1969, Retina Research Foundation is a publicly supported, tax-exempt charitable organization that conducts an ongoing program of basic vision science research devoted to the retina and retinal diseases.

The Paul Kayser International Award in Retina Research was created by the Directors of Retina Research Foundation and endowed by the Trustees of The Kayser Foundation to honor and perpetuate the memory of long-time friend and dedicated benefactor of RRF, Paul Kayser. Through this award both organizations are demonstrating the conviction they shared with Mr. Kayser that blindness caused by retinal disease is a global concern and must be addressed accordingly. It is thus the purpose of this award to foster greater awareness of the need for intensive study of the retina, its role in the visual process, and the retinal diseases that threaten and/or destroy eyesight by recognizing outstanding achievement and sustaining meritorious scientific investigations worldwide.

The Paul Kayser International Award in Retina Research is a U.S. $50,000 award that comprises a $5,000 personal honorarium for the recipient(s) and a $45,000 research grant awarded to his/her/their research institution to support the research for which the award was received. Previous preview award recipients here.