Optometry Giving Sight (OGS) will host the first-ever Brien Holden Founders Award Dinner on Oct. 7 in Boston ahead of the American Academy of Optometry’s 2025 annual meeting. The event commemorates the 10th anniversary of the passing of professor Brien Holden, PhD, and will include the presentation of the inaugural OGS Brien Holden Founders Awards.
“Brien was an international leader in bringing awareness to, and addressing, uncorrected refractive error (URE) globally,” says OGS U.S. board chair Juan Carlos Aragon, OD. “He spent his entire career working to eradicate preventable blindness and vision impairment caused by UREs.”
In 2003, alongside the Brien Holden Vision Institute (BHVI) team, Holden collaborated with the World Council of Optometry and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness to develop a long-term approach to addressing URE. Rather than relying solely on short-term mission trips, they aimed to create sustainable solutions by expanding the global optometry workforce and infrastructure. This initiative led to the founding of OGS as a fundraising entity to support education and clinical training for optometrists in underserved areas.
Holden’s widow, Yvonne, is pleased that Brien is being remembered this way. “He was passionate about OGS right from the very start and determined it would serve a great purpose in Optometry,” she shares. “I’m really proud that this is occurring because it would mean so much to him. I’m so happy that Brien hasn’t been forgotten, and that his work is continuing.”
“Brien was truly a visionary in the effort to create lasting and impactful improvements in access to primary eye care for all,” says OGS Canada board chair Susan Cooper, OD, FAAO. “He understood that good vision is not only vital to the lives of individuals but also to the welfare of families and communities. We are proud to continue his legacy and pleased to honor him with this event.”
Since its founding, OGS shares it has awarded more than 200 grants, supporting the establishment of 14 optometry schools, over 130 vision centers, and the training of more than 14,000 optometry professionals. Programs partially funded by OGS have reached more than 8 million people across 47 countries.
Details about dinner sponsorships, individual tickets, and memorial donations are available here. Award winners will be announced soon.