We are pleased to take advantage of Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") rules that allow companies to furnish their proxy materials over the Internet. As a result, we are mailing to most of our stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the "Notice") instead of a paper copy of our proxy materials (i.e., the Notice of Annual Meeting, this Proxy Statement, our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended 2015 ("2015 Annual Report"), and a form proxy card or voting instruction form). The Notice contains instructions on how to access those documents over the Internet and how to submit your proxy via the Internet. The Notice also contains instructions on how to request a paper copy of our

proxy materials. All stockholders who do not receive a Notice will receive a paper copy of the proxy materials by mail. This process allows us to provide our stockholders with the information they need in a more timely manner, while reducing the environmental impact and lowering the costs of printing and distributing our proxy materials. This Proxy Statement and our 2015 Annual Report are available at our website at http://ir.edwards.com/annuals-proxies.cfm, which does not have "cookies" that identify visitors to the site.

The Notice or these proxy materials are first being sent to stockholders on or about March 31, 2016.

Stockholders will also be asked to consider and transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof. Pursuant to our Bylaws, the chairman of the Annual Meeting will determine whether any business proposed to be brought before the

Annual Meeting has been properly presented. If the chairman determines that the business was not properly brought before the Annual Meeting, the chairman will declare to the meeting that such business was not properly brought and such business will not be transacted.

Our Board has fixed the close of business on Friday, March 18, 2016 as the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting. A list of stockholders of record entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will be available for inspection by any stockholder, for any

purpose germane to the meeting, during normal business hours, for a period of ten days prior to and including the date of the meeting, at our corporate headquarters located at One Edwards Way, Irvine, California 92614.

You are entitled to vote your shares at the Annual Meeting if our records show that you held your shares as of the record date, March 18, 2016. At the close of business on that date, 211,734,901 shares of our common stock were outstanding and entitled to vote at

the Annual Meeting. We have no other class of voting securities outstanding. Each stockholder is entitled to one vote per share on each proposal to be voted upon at the meeting.

If you are a stockholder of record, your proxy must be received by telephone or the Internet by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 11, 2016 in order for your shares to be voted at the Annual Meeting. If you are a stockholder of record and you received a printed copy of the proxy materials, you may instead mark, sign, date and return the enclosed proxy card, which must be received before the polls close at the Annual Meeting.

If you hold your shares in street name through a broker, bank or other nominee, please follow the instructions provided by the broker, bank or other nominee who holds your shares. If you hold shares in one of our 401(k) plans, to allow sufficient time for voting by the plan trustees, your voting instructions must be received by telephone or the Internet by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 9, 2016.

Our Board has appointed William J. Link, Michael A. Mussallem, and Wesley W. von Schack to serve as proxy holders to vote your shares according to the instructions you submit. If you properly submit a proxy but do not indicate how you want your shares to be voted on one or more items, your shares will be voted in accordance with the recommendations of our Board as

set forth above under "Voting Matters and the Recommendations of the Board." With respect to any other matter properly presented at the Annual Meeting, your proxy, if properly submitted, gives authority to the proxy holders to vote your shares on such matter in accordance with their best judgment.

If you are a holder of record, you may revoke your proxy at any time before it is voted at the Annual Meeting by delivering written notice of revocation to the Secretary of the Company by submitting a subsequently dated proxy by mail, telephone or the Internet in the manner described above under "How to Vote," or by attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person. Attendance at the Annual Meeting will not itself revoke an earlier submitted proxy. If you hold your shares in street name, you must follow the instructions provided by your broker, bank or nominee to revoke your voting

instructions, or, if you have obtained a legal proxy from your broker, bank or other nominee giving you the right to vote your shares at the Annual Meeting, by attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person.

Any change to your proxy or voting instructions that is provided by telephone or the Internet must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 11, 2016, except that if you are voting shares held in one of our 401(k) plans, the deadline is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 9, 2016.

Brokers holding shares of record for their customers are entitled to vote on certain routine matters, such as the ratification of the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP ("PwC"), our independent registered public accounting firm (Proposal 4), without instructions from their customers. However, these brokers are generally not entitled to vote on certain non-routine matters, including the election of directors, matters relating to equity compensation plans or executive compensation, and certain corporate governance proposals, unless their

customers submit voting instructions. If you hold your shares in street name through a broker and the broker does not receive your voting instructions, the broker will not be permitted to vote your shares in its discretion on any of the proposals at the Annual Meeting other than the proposal to ratify the appointment of PwC. If you do not submit voting instructions and your broker votes your shares on Proposal 4 in its discretion, your shares will constitute "broker non-votes" on each of the other proposals.

The presence at the Annual Meeting, in person or by proxy, of holders of at least a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote is necessary to constitute a quorum to transact business at the Annual Meeting. Shares represented at the

Annual Meeting are counted toward a quorum even if the holder of such shares abstains from voting. Shares held through brokers are not counted toward a quorum unless the broker has authority to vote upon at least one matter at the Annual Meeting.

Your proxy for the Annual Meeting is being solicited on behalf of our Board and we will pay the cost of solicitation. At our expense, we will also request brokers and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries to forward proxy soliciting materials to the beneficial owners of shares held of record by such persons. In addition, we have retained Georgeson Inc. ("Georgeson") to assist with the distribution and solicitation of proxies for a fee of $20,000, plus

expenses for these services. We also agreed to indemnify Georgeson against liabilities and expenses arising in connection with the proxy solicitation unless caused by Georgeson's gross negligence or intentional misconduct. Georgeson and our officers, directors and regular employees may also solicit proxies by telephone, facsimile, e-mail and personal solicitation. We will not pay additional compensation to our officers, directors and regular employees for these activities.

General.     Our Board currently consists of nine directors forming one single class of directors Following stockholder approval of a proposal seeking declassification of the Board at our 2012 annual meeting, the Board recommended, and stockholders approved at the 2013 annual meeting, amendments to our Certificate of Incorporation to declassify the Board and to phase in the annual election of directors as terms expire. Accordingly, declassification of the Board has been fully phased in and all of our nominated directors will be standing for election for a one-year term. Dr. Barbara J. McNeil has not been nominated for re-election and will retire from the Board on the date of the Annual Meeting, according to the Edwards' director retirement policy. At that time, we expect the size of the Board will be reduced to eight directors.

Since our 2015 annual meeting, Robert A. Ingram retired from the Board in July 2015, and the Board appointed two new directors: Martha H. Marsh in October 2015, with extensive healthcare industry experience, and Steven R. Loranger in March 2016, with global operational and manufacturing experience, as described further in their biographies below. The Compensation and Governance Committee (the "Compensation Committee") authorized the retention of Spencer Stuart, an executive search consulting firm, to identify and assess appropriate candidates for director and facilitated background checks on both Ms. Marsh and Mr. Loranger as part of the director search process. The Compensation Committee and full Board then reviewed the results of Spencer Stuart's evaluations and screenings, discussed each potential nominee, and appointed Ms. Marsh and Mr. Loranger

to the Board. Ms. Marsh and Mr. Loranger were initially identified to the Board by Spencer Stuart.

The Board has nominated the eight individuals identified below, including the two new directors, for election to the Board, to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until their successors are elected and qualified, or until their earlier resignation or removal.

Each of the nominees standing for election has consented to serve as a director if elected. However, if any nominee becomes unable or unwilling for good cause to serve before the election, the shares represented by proxy may be voted for a substitute nominee designated by the Board. No arrangement or understanding exists between any nominee and any other person or persons pursuant to which any nominee was or is to be selected as a director or nominee, and none of our directors has any family relationship with any other director or with any of our executive officers. More information regarding the Board, the committees of the Board, director independence, and related matters, follows this Proposal 1.

Director Nominees.     The following biographical information for each of the Board's director nominees includes information about the director's age, background, and business experience and the specific experience, qualifications, attributes or skills that led the Board to conclude that the individual should serve as a director.

Active Stockholder Engagement.     The Board and management are committed to engaging with Edwards' stockholders. Throughout the year our CEO, CFO and Vice President of Investor Relations meet, by phone and face-to-face, with current and prospective stockholders to discuss Edwards' strategy, business and financial results. Our Corporate Secretary and Investor Relations teams, together with other members of management and, from time to time, our Presiding Director, have engaged stockholders to solicit their views and feedback on governance, compensation and other related matters and to discuss the issues that matter most to our stockholders. Stockholder feedback is shared with the Board and its committees, which enhances our governance practices, facilitates future dialogue between stockholders and the Board and provides additional transparency to our stockholders.

2015-2016 Stockholder Outreach and Board Responsiveness to Action by Written Consent

      2015 Outreach.     During late summer and early fall 2015, our management contacted 26 of our largest stockholders representing approximately 54% of our outstanding shares to understand their governance-related views. Additionally, we sought their feedback on the advisory stockholder proposal seeking the right to act by written consent that was approved by 50.8% of the votes cast (39% of the shares outstanding) at our 2015 annual meeting (the "Written Consent Proposal"). Of those we contacted, we conducted conversations with 13 stockholders representing approximately 43% of outstanding shares. Overall, stockholders were pleased to be consulted and, among other things, expressed their appreciation of our

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current corporate governance profile,

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long record of responsiveness to stockholders,

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commitment to transparency,

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process of Board refreshment, including adoption of a director retirement policy,

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pay for performance philosophy, and

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differentiated innovation strategy.

Specifically on the Written Consent Proposal, we heard two consistent themes:

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Our stockholders strongly favor the right to call a special meeting over the right to act by written consent.

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85% of those with whom we spoke (11 stockholders), volunteered that they had voted against the Written Consent Proposal specifically because they already had the right to call a special meeting.

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Many of these stockholders said they preferred the right to call a special meeting over the right to act by written consent because while both provide stockholders an avenue to be heard outside the annual meeting cycle, special meetings provide additional protections for all stockholders.

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Regardless of their views on the right to act by written consent, stockholders believed it was important that the Board be responsive to the majority-supported Written Consent Proposal.

      Committee and Board Deliberation and Responsiveness.     At their meetings in November 2015, the Compensation and Governance Committee, comprising independent directors, and the Board discussed the stockholders' clear preference for a strong special meeting right over the right to act by written consent and considered the possibility of amending our Bylaws to enhance the special meeting right by lowering the threshold percentage of stockholders required to call a special meeting from 25% to 15% in lieu of adopting Written Consent. In addition to stockholder feedback, the Board considered the following:

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The Written Consent Proposal passed by a slim margin at our 2015 annual meeting (50.8% of the votes cast, representing 39% of the outstanding shares);

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A nearly identical written consent stockholder proposal failed at our 2014 annual meeting with support of only 35% of votes cast (29% of the outstanding shares);

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The largest stockholder that supported the proposal in 2015 has since substantially sold down its position;

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Our special meeting threshold of 25% was appropriate at the time we adopted the right because our two largest stockholders then held close to 25% of our shares; as opposed to 4% now; and

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A 15% threshold was considered most appropriate given our current stockholder base and the relatively constant presence of at least one or more 10% holders over the past few years.

Before taking action, however, the Board wanted to understand how our stockholders would view the Board amending our Bylaws to lower the special meeting threshold in lieu of adopting Written Consent, and whether they would consider this approach responsive to the majority-supported Written Consent Proposal.

      2016 Outreach.     To obtain feedback specifically on the Board's questions, in January and February 2016, we contacted 20 stockholders representing approximately 51% of our outstanding shares, and spoke with 18 stockholders representing just over 50% of our shares, including many stockholders who had provided their views during our initial outreach. Wes von Schack, the Board's Presiding Director, led conversations with five of our top six stockholders. The remaining calls were conducted by the management team that participated on the calls with Mr. von Schack, which included the CFO, the Corporate Secretary and the Vice President of Investor Relations.

The results of these conversations were as follows:

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All of these stockholders approved of the Board's process and proposed approach, and

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All but one (or 99%) of these stockholders said they considered the Board lowering the special meeting threshold in lieu of adopting a written consent right to be responsive to the vote on the Written Consent Proposal.

During our 2016 outreach, the one stockholder who said that it had voted for the Written Consent Proposal and would still prefer to have both special meeting and written consent rights, felt the Board had engaged in a thoughtful process designed to address the feedback received during the 2015 outreach conversations. This stockholder was supportive of the Board's approach and believed it was responsive to the Written Consent Proposal.

      Committee and Board Action.     The Compensation and Governance Committee considered this feedback, including Mr. von Schack's conversations with our largest stockholders, and input from the management team and advisors in making their decision. Upon the recommendation of the Compensation and Governance Committee, the Board determined that it would be consistent with the wishes of the broadest group of our stockholders and responsive to the vote on the Written Consent Proposal to amend the existing stockholder right to call special meetings in our Bylaws to lower the threshold requirement to call a special meeting from 25% to 15% of our outstanding shares in lieu of adopting the right to act by written consent. This action was taken by the Board at its meeting in February 2016.

Proxy Access.     As further demonstration of the Board's responsiveness and thoughtful approach to sound corporate governance, at its February 2016 meeting, the Board also amended our Bylaws to provide stockholders the right to nominate candidates for board membership and have those nominees included in our proxy statement, commonly referred to as "proxy access." This action was recommended to the Board by the Compensation and Governance Committee, which determined that the adoption of a proxy access right was an appropriate enhancement to our governance profile, given the current governance environment, emerging governance trends and stockholder feedback.

Specifically, the proxy access bylaw adopted by the Board permits a stockholder, or a group of up to 30 stockholders, owning at least 3% of our outstanding shares continuously for a period of at least 3 years, to nominate up to the greater of two director candidates or 20% of our Board, for inclusion in our proxy statement. The bylaw contains other eligibility and procedural requirements that are typically included in connection with providing proxy access, which can be found in Section 10 of Article I of our Bylaws posted on our website at www.edwards.com under "Investors—Corporate Governance."

Director Independence.     Under the corporate governance rules of the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"), a majority of the members of the Board must satisfy the NYSE criteria for "independence." No director qualifies as independent unless the Board affirmatively determines that the director has no material relationship with the Company (either directly or as a partner, stockholder, or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the Company). The Board has determined that each of Mr. Cardis, Mr. Gallahue, Dr. Link, Mr. Loranger, Ms. Marsh, Dr. McNeil, Mr. Valeriani and Mr. von Schack is independent under the NYSE rules. Mr. Mussallem is not independent as a result of his position as our Chief Executive Officer. The Board also previously determined that Mr. Ingram, who resigned from the Board in 2015, was independent during his Board service.

Corporate Governance Guidelines.     Our Board has adopted a set of Corporate Governance Guidelines (the "Governance Guidelines") to assist the Board and its committees in performing their duties and serving the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. The Governance Guidelines cover topics including, but not limited to, director selection and qualification, director responsibilities and operation of the Board, director access to management and independent advisors, director compensation, director orientation and continuing education, succession planning, recoupment of performance-based compensation, and the annual evaluations of the Board. The Governance Guidelines are available on our website at www.edwards.com under "Investors—Corporate Governance."

Board Leadership Structure.     Our Chief Executive Officer also serves as the Chairman of the Board. This leadership structure has been in place since we first became a public company in 2000. This approach is commonly used by other public companies in the United States, and our Board believes it has been effective for our Company as well. Under this model, the Company has experienced strong financial and operational growth over its 16 years as a public company, more recently providing a cumulative total return of 95% to stockholders from 2010 to 2015. We have a single leader, and our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer is seen by customers, business partners, investors, and others as providing strong leadership for the Company in the communities we serve and in our industry. Our Board believes that

combining the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer has fostered a more constructive and cooperative relationship between the Board and management, and that their communications are more open and effective than they would be under a different structure. Our Board also believes that, given its size and constructive working relationships, changing the existing structure would not improve the Board's performance. The directors bring a broad range of leadership experience to the boardroom and regularly contribute to the thoughtful discussion involved in overseeing the affairs of the Company. All directors are well-engaged in their responsibilities, express their views, and are open to the opinions expressed by other directors.

Our Board believes that it is important to have an active, engaged and independent Board. Our Governance Guidelines provide that a substantial majority of our Board and all of the members of our Audit Committee and Compensation Committee will be independent under the applicable rules of the NYSE. All members of our Board, other than the Chairman, are independent. In order to assure that the independent directors are not inappropriately influenced by management, the non-management members of the Board meet in executive session, without management, in conjunction with each regularly scheduled meeting of the Board and each committee, and otherwise as deemed necessary. These executive sessions allow directors to speak candidly on any matter of interest, without the CEO or other members of management present. Our Governance Guidelines provide that if our Chairman is also our Chief Executive Officer, or if our Chairman is otherwise not independent, our independent directors shall annually select an independent director to serve as Presiding Director. Mr. von Schack is currently designated as the Presiding Director and, as such, he presides at the executive sessions of the Board. In addition, among other things, the Presiding Director serves as a liaison between the independent members of the Board and the Chairman and other members of management, providing feedback to management from the Board's executive sessions, coordinating the activities of the independent directors, including calling meetings of the independent directors as necessary and appropriate to address their responsibilities, provides advice and counsel to the Chairman, and consults and directly communicates with major stockholders, as appropriate.

Board Role in Risk Oversight.     Effective risk oversight is an important priority of the Board. Its role includes understanding the critical risks in the business, allocating the responsibilities for risk oversight among the full Board and its committees, evaluating the Company's risk management processes, and facilitating open communication between management and the directors.