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.
