SAN RAMON, Calif., March 24, 2021—To further support the advancement of the education of students at the Michigan College of Optometry (MCO) at Ferris State University, CooperVision has donated funds to The Ferris Foundation to provide scholarships and training for those with an interest in myopia management.
The five-year financial commitment is an expansion of CooperVision’s long-standing collaboration with MCO, which spans many years. For nearly a decade, CooperVision has offered contact lens education and fitting experiences to students through Soft Toric and Presbyopic Lens Education (STAPLE) workshops and other educational events on campus, and MCO has been an active partner in CooperVision’s Adopt-A-Patient program, which enables students to gift an annual supply of contact lenses to a well-deserving, low-income patient in their community.
CooperVision’s financial contribution will be used to fund student scholarships to benefit several recipients each year who have shown interest in and firmly embraced myopia management. In addition, CooperVision has committed funding for one of the classrooms in the Michigan College of Optometry building. This comprehensive approach further enables contact lens education, with a focus on providing opportunities for students to learn how to treat patients with myopia, as well as myopia management for children.
“We take great pride in the educational opportunities we have helped make available to MCO students over the years, as this helps them to better prepare for their future careers as practitioners,” said Michele Andrews, OD, Vice President of Professional & Government Affairs, Americas, CooperVision. “As the prevalence of childhood myopia continues to rise, it is imperative that today’s optometry students enter the field with knowledge on how to effectively treat and manage the condition.”
CooperVision worked closely with MCO’s administration and faculty to determine how the company could best support the advancement of the College’s instruction surrounding contact lenses.
“This partnership is meaningful and exciting for MCO students,” said Robert Murray, Associate Vice President for Advancement at Ferris State University. “Our faculty are thrilled by the collaboration with CooperVision, as it will help our students start their careers with the ability and experience to positively impact their patients and the communities they serve.”
“These scholarships are difference makers when it comes to attracting highly qualified students to MCO,” said Dr. David Damari, Dean of the Michigan College of Optometry. “We also look forward to the opportunity to make advanced contact lens technology available for students in our pre-doctoral curriculum.”
CooperVision’s support of Michigan College of Optometry is the latest in a series of expanded partnerships with optometry programs across the nation.
As a leader in myopia management, CooperVision introduced last year its Brilliant FuturesTM Myopia Management Program featuring MiSight® 1 day, the first and only FDA-approved* daily soft contact lens designed to slow the progression of myopia in children, aged 8-12 at the initiation of treatment†1.
# # #
*Indications for use: MiSight® 1 day (omafilcon A) soft (hydrophilic) contact lenses for daily wear are indicated for the correction of myopic ametropia and for slowing the progression of myopia in children with non-diseased eyes, who at the initiation of treatment are 8-12 years of age and have a refraction of -0.75 to -4.00 diopters(spherical equivalent) with ≤ 0.75 diopters of astigmatism. The lens is to be discarded after each removal.
† Compared to a single vision 1 day lens over a 3 year period.
1 Chamberlain P, et al. A 3-year randomized clinical trial of MiSight® lenses for myopia control. Optom Vis Sci. 2019; 96(8):556-67.
About CooperVision
CooperVision, a division of CooperCompanies (NYSE:COO), is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of contact lenses. The company produces a full array of daily disposable, two-week and monthly soft contact lenses that feature advanced materials and optics, and premium rigid gas permeable lenses for orthokeratology and scleral designs. CooperVision has a strong heritage of addressing the toughest vision challenges such as astigmatism, presbyopia, childhood myopia, and highly irregular corneas; and offers the most complete portfolio of spherical, toric and multifocal products available. Through a combination of innovative products and focused practitioner support, the company brings a refreshing perspective to the marketplace, creating real advantages for customers and wearers. For more information, visit www.coopervision.com.
About CooperCompanies
CooperCompanies ("Cooper") is a global medical device company publicly traded on the NYSE (NYSE:COO). Cooper operates through two business units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. CooperVision brings a refreshing perspective on vision care with a commitment to developing a wide range of high-quality products for contact lens wearers and providing focused practitioner support. CooperSurgical is committed to advancing the health of women, babies and families with its diversified portfolio of products and services focusing on medical devices and fertility & genomics. Headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., Cooper has a workforce of more than 12,000 with products sold in over 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.
Media Contact
Heather Kowalczyk, APR
McDougall Communications for CooperVision, Inc.
heather@mcdougallpr.com or +1-585-434-2148