ROCHESTER, N.Y., March 12, 2026—CooperVision announced today that Karen Walsh, Senior Director, Global Professional Affairs, has been appointed to the boards of both the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and Optometry Giving Sight (OGS), reinforcing the company’s longstanding commitment to advancing global eye health.
“Access to vision care changes lives, families, and communities,” said Walsh. “It is a privilege to serve on the boards of IAPB and Optometry Giving Sight, organizations focused on building sustainable eye care solutions. I look forward to supporting their work to expand access to quality vision care worldwide.”
As leading members of the IAPB, CooperVision has worked with the organization to help elevate awareness of the significance of refractive error screening to ensure clear vision for everyone. Together, the partners have also advocated for government support that allows for the early detection of myopia to reduce the burden of the disease and ensure every child fulfills their potential.
CooperVision is Optometry Giving Sight’s largest all-time donor and a Global Gold Sponsor of the organization, supporting its mission to eradicate preventable blindness. Since 2008, CooperVision and its employees have cumulatively raised more than $5 million for the OGS World Sight Day Challenge. Company teams have also supported the organization through participation in OGS-funded mission trips to provide eye exams and glasses for more than 4,000 children in underserved communities.
“For years, these partnerships have been central to our mission to help improve the way people see each day, and the shared missions of IAPB and OGS—eradicating preventable blindness and vision impairment—are well-aligned. Karen’s experience and connections with eye care professionals around the world make her uniquely suited to represent CooperVision on both boards,” said Jerry Warner, President, CooperVision.
In her role at CooperVision, Walsh leads the company’s Global Professional Affairs organization, working closely with teams to support eye care professionals through education and collaboration. Prior to joining the company in 2021, she served as an educator, researcher, and author at the Centre for Ocular Research and Education (CORE) at the University of Waterloo.
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About CooperVision
CooperVision, a division of CooperCompanies (Nasdaq: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 (Nasdaq: COO) is a leading global medical device company focused on helping people experience life’s beautiful moments through its two business units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. CooperVision is a trusted leader in the contact lens industry, helping to improve the way people see each day. CooperSurgical is a leading fertility and women’s healthcare company dedicated to putting time on the side of women, babies, and families at the healthcare moments that matter most. Headquartered in San Ramon, CA, CooperCompanies has a workforce of more than 15,000, sells products in over 130 countries, and positively impacts over fifty million lives each year. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.
Media Contact
Heather Kowalczyk, APR
McDougall Communications for CooperVision
heather@mcdougallpr.com or +1-585-434-2148
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