Bausch

Bausch & Lomb, commonly styled as Bausch + Lomb, is an eye-health company and brand whose history began in Rochester, New York, in 1853. German immigrant optician John Jacob Bausch established the business with Henry Lomb, a cabinet maker who became his financial backer. The company initially made monocles and later developed vulcanite-rubber spectacle frames, helping it expand at a time when conventional horn and precious-metal materials were becoming more expensive and difficult to obtain. Its early emphasis on precision optics created a foundation for later work in microscopes, photographic lenses, spectacle lenses, binoculars, telescopes, projectors, camera components, and other optical instruments. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Bausch & Lomb broadened its technical capabilities through optical-glass production, research, manufacturing partnerships, and military contracts. Cooperation with Zeiss and Saegmuller supported the development and commercialization of optical technologies, while demand associated with the United States armed forces and the two World Wars encouraged production of field glasses, range finders, periscopes, searchlight mirrors, camera lenses, and other precision equipment. The company also developed optics for CinemaScope and created the Ray-Ban sunglasses brand for pilots in the 1930s. Ray-Ban later became a major consumer sunglasses business, but Bausch & Lomb sold it to Luxottica in 1999. A decisive modern turning point came through contact-lens technology. In 1965, the company acquired rights to hydrogel contact-lens technology developed by Czech scientists Otto Wichterle and Drahoslav Lím. After development and regulatory work, Bausch & Lomb introduced Soflens in 1971, helping make soft contact lenses commercially important. The business subsequently concentrated more heavily on vision care and healthcare. A major restructuring in the 1980s reduced some of its traditional optical activities, while acquisitions such as Polymer Technology Corporation and Dr. Mann Pharma strengthened contact lenses and pharmaceutical capabilities. A surgical-products division was established in 1997. The corporate ownership structure also changed substantially. Bausch & Lomb was historically a public company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, but private-equity firm Warburg Pincus acquired it in 2007. Valeant Pharmaceuticals, now known as Bausch Health Companies, announced a cash acquisition in 2013 and completed the transaction on August 5 of that year. Bausch & Lomb later returned to the public markets through an initial public offering completed on May 6, 2022, while remaining associated with Bausch Health. Today, the brand's portfolio covers three broad areas: Vision Care, Pharmaceuticals, and Surgical. Vision Care includes daily and reusable contact lenses, specialty lenses, and lens-care products. Consumer eye-care products include eye drops, redness relievers, dry-eye products, lens rewetting products, and nutritional supplements such as PreserVision and Ocuvite. Pharmaceutical products address conditions and needs including dry eye, glaucoma, ocular inflammation, ocular hypertension, postoperative care, and retinal disease. The Surgical portfolio includes intraocular lenses, delivery systems, phacoemulsification equipment, and other devices and instruments used in cataract, corneal, vitreous, and retinal procedures. The company has also expanded through product launches and acquisitions. Lumify entered the consumer eye-drop market in 2018, Miebo received United States approval in 2023 for dry-eye treatment, and Bausch + Lomb acquired Xiidra and related assets from Novartis in 2023. The same year, it acquired the Blink eye-care portfolio from Johnson & Johnson. Bausch & Lomb therefore operates as both a consumer-facing brand and a medical eye-care supplier, combining contact-lens and over-the-counter products with prescription therapies and surgical technologies.

Bausch + Lomb began in 1853 when German immigrant John Jacob Bausch opened an optical goods shop in Rochester, New York, with financial support from Henry Lomb. The business initially sold spectacles and other optical products. Its early growth was connected to the development of American optical manufacturing, allowing the company to move from retailing imported goods toward producing precision instruments in the United States. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Bausch + Lomb broadened its technical capabilities. It produced microscopes, binoculars, photographic lenses, and other optical instruments, and became an important supplier of military and scientific optics. The company’s work in precision glass and lens manufacturing helped establish a durable reputation beyond consumer eyewear. The Ray-Ban sunglass brand was developed by Bausch + Lomb in the twentieth century and became one of the most recognizable names in eyewear before being sold to Luxottica in 1999. Bausch + Lomb later became a major participant in contact lenses and lens care. The company developed and commercialized soft contact-lens technologies and built a substantial business in solutions for cleaning, disinfecting, storing, and rewetting lenses. These activities made the brand familiar both to eye-care professionals and to consumers. Its portfolio subsequently expanded into prescription ophthalmology, over-the-counter eye drops, intraocular lenses, and equipment for cataract and retinal surgery. The company’s corporate history changed in the 2000s. Bausch + Lomb was acquired by Warburg Pincus in 2007 after accounting and regulatory difficulties had affected the business. Valeant Pharmaceuticals acquired Bausch + Lomb in 2013, combining the eye-health company with its broader pharmaceutical operations. Valeant later changed its name to Bausch Health Companies as it dealt with debt, pricing criticism, litigation, and a broad restructuring of its business model. Bausch + Lomb was subsequently prepared as a separately traded eye-health company. The separation from Bausch Health was completed in 2022, and Bausch + Lomb Corporation became listed on the New York Stock Exchange under BLCO. The transaction created a standalone company focused on vision care, consumer eye health, prescription medicines, and surgical products, while Bausch Health retained a significant ownership interest. Since the separation, the company has continued to develop and acquire products in dry eye, contact lenses, pharmaceuticals, and ophthalmic surgery while maintaining an international commercial presence.

1. 2023Miebo approved for dry eye

   The FDA approved Miebo for signs and symptoms of dry-eye disease associated with meibomian gland dysfunction.

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2. 2022Separation and public listing

   Bausch + Lomb separated from Bausch Health Companies and listed on the New York Stock Exchange as BLCO.

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3. 2016Xiidra approved in the United States

   The FDA approved Xiidra, a prescription treatment for the signs and symptoms of dry-eye disease.

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4. 2013Acquired by Valeant

   Valeant Pharmaceuticals completed its acquisition of Bausch + Lomb, adding the eye-health business to its pharmaceutical group.

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5. 2007Acquired by Warburg Pincus

   Warburg Pincus acquired Bausch + Lomb and took the company private.

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6. 1999Ray-Ban sold to Luxottica

   Bausch + Lomb sold the Ray-Ban eyewear business to Luxottica.

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7. 1937Ray-Ban brand introduced

   Bausch + Lomb introduced Ray-Ban sunglasses, which later became a major eyewear brand before its sale to Luxottica.

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8. 1903Expansion into precision optical instruments

   The company’s optical manufacturing activities expanded across scientific, photographic, and other precision applications.

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9. 1853Optical business founded in Rochester

   John Jacob Bausch and Henry Lomb established the business that became Bausch + Lomb in Rochester, New York.

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An integrated global eye-health specialist spanning consumer vision care, contact lenses, prescription ophthalmology, and surgical technologies.

• ULTRAContact lenses

  A family of silicone-hydrogel contact lenses designed for monthly replacement. The portfolio includes products for common vision-correction needs and, in selected markets, options addressing astigmatism and presbyopia.

• Biotrue ONEdayDaily disposable contact lenses

  A daily disposable contact-lens line marketed around a material and design intended to support moisture retention and comfortable wear. Availability and specific configurations differ across countries.

• BiotrueLens care and eye care

  A consumer eye-care platform that includes multipurpose contact-lens solution, rewetting products, and related offerings. The brand is positioned around biologically inspired moisture and cleaning concepts.

• LumifyOver-the-counter eye drops2018

  An over-the-counter eye-drop brand containing brimonidine tartrate for temporary reduction of ocular redness. It is marketed primarily through consumer and pharmacy channels in markets where approved.

• XiidraPrescription ophthalmic medicine2016

  A prescription ophthalmic solution containing lifitegrast and indicated in the United States for the treatment of signs and symptoms of dry-eye disease. Bausch + Lomb obtained the product through its acquisition of the ophthalmology business of Novartis.

• MieboPrescription ophthalmic medicine2023

  A prescription ophthalmic solution containing perfluorohexyloctane. In the United States it is indicated for the treatment of signs and symptoms of dry-eye disease associated with meibomian gland dysfunction.

• enVistaIntraocular lenses

  A family of intraocular lenses used in cataract surgery. The range includes monofocal and other lens technologies intended to address different surgical and visual-correction requirements.

• 2023Launch of Miebo in the United StatesProduct launch

  Meibomian gland dysfunction is a recognized contributor to evaporative dry-eye disease and represented a targeted treatment opportunity.

  What changed. Following FDA approval, Bausch + Lomb introduced Miebo as a prescription treatment for dry-eye disease associated with meibomian gland dysfunction.

  Aftermath. Miebo expanded the company’s prescription dry-eye portfolio alongside Xiidra and other ophthalmic products.

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• 2022Spin-off into an independent eye-health companyStrategy

  Bausch Health sought to separate its eye-health assets from its other pharmaceutical businesses and unlock a focused public-market vehicle.

  What changed. Bausch Health completed the separation of Bausch + Lomb Corporation, which began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under BLCO.

  Aftermath. The company operated as an independent public eye-health business while Bausch Health retained a significant ownership interest.

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• 2013Sale to Valeant PharmaceuticalsM&A

  Bausch + Lomb was a major standalone eye-health company with established contact-lens, pharmaceutical, and surgical businesses.

  What changed. Valeant Pharmaceuticals agreed to acquire the company and completed the transaction in 2013.

  Aftermath. Bausch + Lomb became the core of Valeant’s eye-health activities and later operated within the renamed Bausch Health Companies.

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• 2006Accounting and regulatory issues before the 2007 buyoutControversy

  Bausch + Lomb disclosed accounting problems and faced regulatory scrutiny related to its ReNu with MoistureLoc contact-lens solution after reports of fungal eye infections. The company recalled the product and entered a period of operational and governance disruption before its acquisition by Warburg Pincus.

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• 2023FDA approves Miebo for dry-eye disease

  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Miebo ophthalmic solution for the treatment of signs and symptoms of dry-eye disease associated with meibomian gland dysfunction.

  Product launch
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• 2023Bausch + Lomb expands its daily disposable contact-lens portfolio

  The company continued commercial expansion of newer daily disposable and silicone-hydrogel contact-lens products, including products marketed under the INFUSE and Biotrue families.

  Product launchProduct generation
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• 2023Brent Saunders returns as Bausch + Lomb chief executive

  Brent Saunders became chairman and chief executive officer, succeeding Joseph C. Papa and returning to lead the eye-health company after previously serving in senior roles at Bausch Health.

  Leadership change
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• 2023Bausch + Lomb agrees to acquire Xiidra from Novartis

  The company announced an agreement to acquire Xiidra and two pipeline assets from Novartis for $1.75 billion plus potential payments linked to future sales.

  M&A
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• 2023Bausch + Lomb acquires the Blink eye-care portfolio

  Bausch + Lomb acquired the Blink portfolio of eye-care products from Johnson & Johnson.

  M&A
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• 2022Bausch + Lomb begins trading as an independent public company

  Bausch + Lomb completed its separation from Bausch Health Companies and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BLCO.

  M&AOther
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• 2022Bausch + Lomb becomes an independently listed public company

  Bausch + Lomb completed its separation from Bausch Health and began trading as a separate public company on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker BLCO.

  M&AOther
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• 2022Bausch + Lomb returns to public markets

  Bausch + Lomb completed an initial public offering on May 6, returning the company to public trading.

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• 2022Bausch + Lomb completes separation from Bausch Health

  Bausch + Lomb became an independent public company, listed on NYSE under ticker BLCO.

  M&A
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• 2016FDA approves Xiidra for signs and symptoms of dry eye

  Xiidra became the first prescription medicine approved in the United States specifically to treat both signs and symptoms of dry-eye disease.

  Product launch
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• 2013Valeant announces acquisition of Bausch & Lomb

  Valeant Pharmaceuticals announced a cash acquisition of Bausch & Lomb from Warburg Pincus for $4.5 billion; the transaction closed on August 5, 2013.

  M&A
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• 2007Bausch & Lomb acquired by Warburg Pincus

  Bausch & Lomb ceased to be a publicly listed company after its acquisition by private-equity firm Warburg Pincus.

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1. Bausch + Lomb company history
2. Bausch + Lomb investor relations management
3. Bausch + Lomb separation and NYSE listing announcement
4. Bausch + Lomb 2022 registration statement
5. FDA approval of Xiidra
6. FDA approval of Miebo
7. Ray-Ban sold to Luxottica
8. Acquired by Warburg Pincus
9. Acquired by Valeant
10. Accounting and regulatory issues before the 2007 buyout
11. 博士伦就ReNu with MoistureLoc消费者诉讼达成和解
12. ReNu MoistureLoc recall
13. Bausch + Lomb expands its daily disposable contact-lens portfolio
14. Bausch + Lomb begins trading as an independent public company
15. 博士伦完成从博士康的分拆