March 14, 2014

Southampton, United Kingdom, March 14, 2014 — Following Team GB’s recent record-equalling performance in Sochi, Russia, global contact lens manufacturer CooperVision is delighted to partner with eye care practitioners to sponsor three promising winter athletes.

Through the provision of free-of-charge contact lenses and eye care, halfpipe skier Rob Taylor, ice hockey player Ben Davies, and mogul skier Ellie Koyander, are all seeing the benefits of wearing lenses tailored to their demanding sporting environments.

Rob Taylor began skiing at age 20, inspired by his late brother, British inline skating and freestyle ski champion Richard. Having needed glasses since the age of 16, Rob soon realised that contact lenses would be the best solution for him within his chosen sport, becoming a patient at Specsavers Barry. After trialling a few different lenses and suffering a detached retina that required surgery, Rob struck gold when prescribed with CooperVision’s Biofinity® lenses.

Rob said: “I’ve been really pleased with Biofinity’s performance. It’s so important to have clear vision in my sport and these lenses deliver every time with no irritation or dryness. I really can’t thank Jamie Cullen and the team at Specsavers Barry enough for all their help in finding the right contact lens for me.”

Similarly, Anne Lowndes at Specsavers Bridgend has been working with GB ice hockey player Ben Davies, who first started playing the sport at age seven. When Ben’s existing contact lenses became itchy and uncomfortable, Anne helped him find better vision via CooperVision Proclear® lenses.

Commenting on his experience, Ben said, “Ice hockey is a very demanding sport, incorporating constant movement and extreme temperatures, but I find that my new lenses stand up to these tests and are completely reliable. I wear my Proclear lenses all the time and believe that they have truly helped me to perform my best as I have progressed through my career, playing for the Cardiff Devils and Team GB.”

Mogul skier and the youngest member of Team GB in the 2010 Winter Olympics, Ellie Koyander, was recently prescribed CooperVision’s newest lens, MyDay®, by Geoff Wilson at The Contact Lens Practice in Birmingham.

Commenting on their performance, Ellie said, “MyDay lenses are the best lenses I have tried so far and I would never go back to any other contact lens product. My sport takes place in a very demanding environment where factors such as altitude and glare come in to play. I have found MyDay effective both in terms of UV protection and combating the dry air typically found at high altitudes. Vision is everything in sports and I couldn’t be happier and more confident in MyDay lenses to provide the performance I need in order to perform at my very best.”

Professional Relations Manager Karl Aberdeen at CooperVision said, “For professional athletes, having clear and comfortable vision that fits easily into their busy lifestyles is critical. It’s rewarding to help these young, talented athletes realise their sporting potential through the provision of eye care products tailored to their individual needs. We are very pleased to be part of Rob, Ben and Ellie’s career success so far and we wish them all the best for the future.”

For further information on all of CooperVision’s contact lenses, please visit coopervision.co.uk

 

About CooperVision

CooperVision, a unit of The Cooper Companies, Inc. (NYSE:COO), is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of soft contact lenses. The Company produces a full array of monthly and daily disposable contact lenses, all featuring advanced materials and optics. CooperVision has a strong heritage of solving the toughest vision challenges such as astigmatism and presbyopia; and offers the most complete collection 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 coopervision.co.uk.  

About The Cooper Companies

The Cooper Companies, Inc. ("Cooper") is a global medical device company publicly traded on the NYSE Euronext (NYSE:COO). Cooper is dedicated to being A Quality of Life Company™ with a focus on delivering shareholder value. 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 focuses on supplying women's health clinicians with market leading products and treatment options to improve the delivery of healthcare to women. Headquartered in Pleasanton, CA, Cooper has approximately 8,000 employees with products sold in over 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.