Company Profile
Bausch & Lomb
Company Overview
Bausch & Lomb is the eye health company dedicated to perfecting vision and enhancing life®.
We offer the world’s most comprehensive portfolio of eye health products and we’re proud that ours is one of the oldest, best known and most respected healthcare brands in the world.
We began in 1853 in Rochester, New York, as a small optical shop that grew to become a multi-billion dollar corporation with nearly 14,000 employees worldwide, and with products available in more than 100 countries.
At Bausch & Lomb, our history of innovation continues today as we invent new materials, engineer new technologies, and create pioneering ways to help people see better.
Company History
One of the oldest continually operating companies in the US today, Bausch & Lomb traces its roots to 1853, when John Jacob Bausch, a German immigrant, set up a tiny optical goods shop in Rochester, New York. When he needed more money to keep the business going, Bausch borrowed $60 from his good friend, Henry Lomb. Bausch promised that if the business grew, Lomb would be made a full partner. The business did grow and the partnership was formed.
In the early years, Bausch & Lomb manufactured revolutionary rubber eyeglass frames as well as a variety of optical products that required a high degree of manufacturing precision. By 1903, the firm had been issued patents for microscopes, binoculars, and even a camera shutter based on the eye’s reaction to light.
In the 1900’s, Bausch & Lomb continued to demonstrate its place at the forefront of technological innovation for optical products. Bausch & Lomb produced the first optical quality glass made in America, developed ground-breaking sunglasses for the military in World War I, and created the lenses used on the cameras that took the first satellite pictures of the moon. In 1971, Bausch & Lomb introduced the first soft contact lenses and is still the largest global provider of eye care products.
Although products and times have changed, Bausch & Lomb still adheres to the legacy of dedication to innovation, quality, and craftsmanship established by John Jacob Bausch and Henry Lomb.
Notable Products / Brands
PureVision Contact lenses
Notable Accomplishments / Recognition
Contact Lenses: Our offerings span the entire spectrum of wearing modalities and include such well-known brand names as PureVision®, SofLens®, Boston® and Optima® .
Lens Care: Our lens care products include the ReNu® brand of chemical disinfectants as well as the Sensitive Eyes® and the Boston® lines of products for cleaning contact lenses.
Pharmaceuticals: Our products treat a wide range of eye conditions including glaucoma, eye allergies, conjunctivitis, dry eye and retinal diseases. We offer proprietary and generic medicines available by prescription, over-the-counter eye drops and other medications. Our line of proprietary Rx products includes the steroid eye drops Lotemax® , Alrex®, and Zylet®, and, Retisert® and Vitrasert® to treat retinal diseases. Outside the U.S., the non-selective beta blocker, Carteol; Minims, preservative-free, single-dose drops; and Liposic ointment for dry eye. Leading OTC products include the Ocuvite® and PreserVision® brands of ocular vitamins and the Advanced Eye Relief line.
Cataract and Vitreoretinal Surgery: We offer a full suite of products including intraocular lenses and delivery systems featuring the SofPort® and Akreos™ brands of IOLs, the Millennium™ line of phacoemulsification equipment, and other surgical instruments and devices, including the Storz® line of instruments.
Refractive Surgery: Our products for refractive laser surgery include the Zyoptix® system for personalized vision correction (customized LASIK) and the Zyoptix XP and Hansatome® brands of microkeratomes.
Benefits
Bausch & Lomb offers a YOUR CHOICE benefits program. YOUR CHOICE is a flexible benefits plan that allows eligible employees to choose among varying levels of medical and dental coverage as well as special accounts to pay non-reimbursed health care or dependent care expenses or to buy or sell vacation time. All are funded through a combination of company credits and employee pre-tax contributions. In addition to benefits available through the flexible pre-tax approach, Bausch & Lomb offers you the opportunity to choose benefits designed to:
Protect your income during sickness and disability
Provide financial protection for your survivors
Provide personal financial security during retirement
Supplement savings for retirement, education and other personal needs