Optometry Giving Sight (OGS) has announced the recipients of its inaugural Brien Holden Founders Awards, honoring CooperVision, Inc. and Greg Pearl, OD, for their contributions to global vision care. The awards, established in memory of Professor Brien Holden, PhD, the late founder of OGS, recognize individuals and organizations that have demonstrated significant impact in advancing eye health worldwide.

The awards will be presented at the first Brien Holden Founders Award Dinner, scheduled for Oct. 7 in Boston ahead of the American Academy of Optometry’s 2025 Annual Meeting.

"Brien was a visionary leader, deeply committed to raising awareness about and addressing Uncorrected Refractive Error worldwide," says OGS U.S. board chair Juan Carlos Aragon, OD. "His unwavering advocacy helped establish optometry services in underserved communities, ensuring that access to quality eye care became a global priority—both now and for generations to come."

The awards aim to honor those who embody Holden’s values and commitment to improving vision care worldwide.

“CooperVision is deeply honored to receive this inaugural award honoring Dr. Holden’s life and legacy,” says Jerry Warner, president of CooperVision. “Brien understood the innate power of uniting like-minded people and organizations around work that truly changes lives. We are proud to be a part of that work.”

“Brien has inspired my humanitarian efforts since I met him,” says Dr. Pearl. “Not only did he develop the silicone-hydrogel contact lens materials which we all use today, but he selflessly invested his profits from those lenses to establish the first optometry colleges in a dozen African countries.”

Since its founding, Optometry Giving Sight has awarded more than 200 grants supporting the creation of 14 optometry schools, more than 130 vision centers, and the training of more than 14,000 eyecare professionals. To date, OGS-supported programs have reached more than 8 million people across 47 countries.