Company: STAA
Filing Date: 2025-04-24
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0000950170-25-058174
Chunk: 22

Company: STAAR SURGICAL CO
Filing Date: 2025-04-24
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 22
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 updates to improve clarity and to better align with best practices. In accordance with its written charter, as revised, the Audit Committee is responsible for the following:

reviewing and discussing with management and the independent auditor the Company’s quarterly and annual financial statements, including significant financial reporting issues and judgments made in connection with the preparation thereof, as well as internal controls related thereto;

appointing and overseeing the independent auditor, pre-approving the services thereof, and reviewing the scope, planning, and staffing of the annual audit;

reviewing and discussing with the independent auditor and management the internal audit department responsibilities, budget and staffing, and any recommended changes in the planned scope of the internal audit;

advising the Board with respect to the Company’s policies and procedures regarding compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including the overall adequacy and effectiveness of the Company’s legal and compliance programs; and

discussing the Company’s approach to risk assessment and risk management and monitoring the Company’s enterprise risk management activities, as well as overseeing the Company’s management of risks related to cybersecurity and data privacy.

The Audit Committee is currently comprised of Lilian Y. Zhou (Chair), Louis E. Silverman, and Elizabeth Yeu, M.D. During 2024, Stephen C. Farrell, Wei Jiang, and Peony Yu, M.D. also served on the Audit Committee. Dr. Yu served on the Committee until June 2024, at which time her term as a director expired at the 2024 annual meeting of shareholders. Mr. Farrell stepped down from the Committee in February 2025 in connection with his appointment as Chief Executive Officer. In addition, Mr. Jiang stepped down from the Committee in April 2025, in connection with our engagement of Mr. Jiang to serve as a special strategic advisor to our Asia Pacific business. Each current member of the Audit Committee is independent, and each former member of the Audit Committee was independent during the time they served on the committee, under the Nasdaq rules and heightened independence standards under the SEC rules applicable to audit committee members. STAAR has determined that Ms. Zhou qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” under the rules of the SEC. During 2024, the Audit Committee met four times.

| 2025 Proxy Statement | – 16 – |

#### ––Corporate Governance––
Director Identification and Selection One of the Nominating and Governance Committee’s key responsibilities is the identification and evaluation of director nominees. The Nominating and Governance Committee believes that Board refreshment is important as our