Peek Vision announces the Karen Sparrow Scholarship

The social enterprise, Peek Vision, has launched a scholarship fund to celebrate the life of optometrist Karen Sparrow, who died in January last year.

Sparrow had worked as global programme manager for Peek Vision since 2017, a company that develops tools to support eye health organisations in low and middle-income countries.

In her role, Sparrow had overseen global training and development for new programmes, supporting sustainable implementation and scaling.

The scholarship fund will sponsor an eye care professional from, or working in, a low or middle-income country, to attend The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine short course on Global Eye Health.

The 2023 course will run from 13–16 November and applicants must have at least three years of experience in eye health, and be fluent in English.

Peek Vision shared on a webpage dedicated to the scholarship, that the fund will support “aspiring optometrists, ophthalmic nurses, ophthalmologists and eye care managers who are committed to providing quality eye care to those in need, just as Karen did throughout her career.”

Sparrow had a wide-ranging professional career, including eight years as the head of professional development at the AOP, and became a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers in 2001, moving up to the Livery in 2005.

As a volunteer for the organisation, Vision Aid Overseas, Sparrow completed 13 overseas assignments. Read more about the life of Karen Sparrow here.

The closing date for applications to the scholarship fund is 20 July 2023.

Details on how to apply, and a practitioner story illustrating the effect a scholarship can have, can be found on the Peek Vision website.