Bausch & Lomb
Encyclopedia
Bausch & Lomb, an American company based in Rochester, New York, is one of the world's leading suppliers of eye health products, such as contact lens
es and lens care products today. In addition to this main activity, in recent years the area of medical technology
(medicine
s, implant
s for eye diseases) has been developed. Bausch & Lomb became well known because of its popular Ray-Ban brand of sunglasses, which was sold in 1999 to the Italian Luxottica
Group. Today, the company employs about 13,000 people in 36 countries. The company was founded in 1853 by two Germans, John Jacob Bausch
and Henry Lomb.
and Henry C. Lomb in Rochester, New York. A trained optician
, Bausch found in Lomb the financier and partner he needed for a small but ambitious workshop producing monocle
s. In 1861, the company manufactured Vulcanite
rubber
eyeglass frames and other precision vision products.
, the blockade caused the price of gold and European horn to rise dramatically. This resulted in a growing demand for the Bausch & Lomb spectacles made from Vulcanite.
In 1876, the company began manufacturing microscope
s. Later that year, the Bausch & Lomb Optical Company won a distinction at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. The company also produced photographic lenses (1883), spectacle lenses (1889), microtomes (1890), binoculars and telescopes (1893). From 1892 in cooperation with Zeiss in Germany, the company produced optical lenses
. In this manner, at the end of the 19th century, the product range included eyeglasses, microscopes and binoculars
, as well as projector
s, camera lenses and camera diaphragms.
and the build up of the naval fleet, Bausch & Lomb received the commission, through the supplier Saegmuller
, to manufacture high-precision lenses for optical measurement and founded a joint venture
with Saegmuller. At the same time as this new expansion, the significance of scientific research was realized, and a research department with five members was started to develop new products and improve old ones. A new alliance with the Zeiss company in Germany ensured competitive advantages for the three participants, Bausch & Lomb, Saegmuller and Zeiss, in terms of patent use and opening new markets. In 1902, William Bausch, the son of the founder, developed a process to create the desired lens shape directly by casting molten glass. Previously, the glass parts for the lenses had to be separated, ground and polished in a complicated process, so this brought enormous savings in time and materials.
The company produced the first optical quality glass in America during the early to mid 1900s. By the year 1903 the company began manufacturing microscopes, binoculars, and camera shutters.
s, the product range could be considerably broadened. During this period, military products represented 70% of total production. One of the best-known developments in this period was the world-famous Ray-Ban brand sunglasses, developed for pilots in 1936.
At a time when the cinema was being superseded by television, Bausch & Lomb managed a breakthrough with their CinemaScope
lens. For the first time, the new lens made the "wide screen" effect possible, enabling cinemas to double screen width and popularize the cinema once again.
After three years of development work, two years for the medical approval by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration
) and an investment of three million USD, Bausch & Lomb brought the first contact lens
es made of Poly-HEMA on the market in 1971. In contrast to the contact lenses available up to that time, made of glass and Lucite (acrylic glass
), the new lenses were softer and considerably more pleasant to wear. Thereafter, the name "Soflens" became a brand name known worldwide.
A massive restructuring of the company began in the mid-80s. What had been the core divisions, the production of lenses for various purposes, were sold off. The sunglasses division was continued, since Ray-Ban glasses kept selling very well due to effective product placement
. By the planned acquisition of other firms, such as Polymer Technology Corporation and Dr. Mann Pharma, existing business areas, for example contact lens production, were strengthened and new ones were opened up. Finally in 1997, as a result of a series of company acquisitions, the division for the production of surgical products was established.
The company also produced the lenses for cameras which captured the first satellite
images of the Moon
.
, Alcon
, Allergan
, MSD-Chibret and Ciba Vision
(Novartis). The development of new products is decisive and is an on-going process in which development teams for research, development and engineering work closely together. The various team members come from the manufacturing, technical, packaging, marketing, quality assurance and legal departments.
A new corporate headquarters was constructed in Rochester in 1995.
Although in the last few years several business areas in the Vision Care division have been developed in the framework of product diversification, the manufacture of contact lenses still accounted for 28 % of turnover in 2001 and was thus its main business activity. Besides the simplest "SofLens One Day" soft contact lens range, which have to be changed every day, the product assortment also includes higher quality lenses, such as the "SofLens Comfort" or "Seequence" lenses which can be changed after two weeks. The "SofLens66 Toric" were specially designed for people with astigmatism
. Lenses from the "Boston" range have a higher oxygen permeability and thus are more suited for people with sensitive or dry eyes. The newest and most advanced lens range is called "PureVision". These lenses are so oxygen-permeable that they can remain in the eye up to 30 days without being taken out at night. The second largest business, at 25 %, is the manufacture of lens-care products. As well as simple combination cleaning and disinfectant solutions for both soft and hard lenses, pH neutral solutions are available for people with particularly sensitive eyes.
The Pharmaceuticals division manufactures pharmaceutical eye products, which account for 21 % of turnover. This range covers prescription medicines for eye irritation, allergic reactions or high eye pressure. A further breakthrough is expected from the new Envision TD product range. This represents a new process for the precisely located dispensing of active substances to the eye. This is achieved by medical implants behind the eye. Due to the body's absorption process, the implant slowly decomposes and in so doing releases the desired active substance directly to the eye over a long period. Additionally, vitamins can be dispensed to counteract bacterial infection and allergic reactions, thus reducing loss of vision with advancing age. The development of this division was speeded up by take-overs of other firms.
The Surgicals division is divided into Refractive Surgery with 8 % of turnover and Cataract Vitreotinal Surgery with 18 %. The latter division is concerned with products for operations on glaucoma and cataracts and on the cornea, as well as implantable, interocular lenses. The Refractive Surgery division comprises mainly medical analysis devices and lasers required for eye surgery. In order to strengthen this division, the competing, market-leader companies Storz and Chiron were acquired.
.
In May 2007, the company announced plans to be acquired by Warburg Pincus
, a private equity firm based in New York City. Advanced Medical Optics
also announced an interest in the company. In August 2007, B & L terminated talks with Advanced Medical Optics, and completed its merger with Warburg Pincus in October 2007.
which claimed to have patents on a Bausch & Lomb product called PureVision. On June 26, 2002, a federal judge ruled that Bausch & Lomb did infringe on Ciba Vision
(a subsidiary of Novartis) patents.
On July 2, 2004, the company announced that it had licensed the intellectual property of Novartis. Bausch & Lomb will pay the Ciba Vision unit of Novartis a royalty on net U.S. sales of its PureVision brand contact lenses until 2014 and on net sales outside the U.S. until 2016.
On April 11, 2006, Bausch & Lomb stopped shipments of its ReNu
with MoistureLoc contact lens solution when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) announced there was a high correlation between use of the product and cases of suspected fungal keratitis
. The Centers for Disease Control found that "nearly all of the company's ReNu with MoistureLoc eye care products were linked to severe fungal eye infections". Two class action lawsuits have been filed against Bausch & Lomb in relation to the eye fungus problems.
starting in 2003, the second year of the report.
Contact lens
A contact lens, or simply contact, is a lens placed on the eye. They are considered medical devices and can be worn to correct vision, for cosmetic or therapeutic reasons. In 2004, it was estimated that 125 million people use contact lenses worldwide, including 28 to 38 million in the United...
es and lens care products today. In addition to this main activity, in recent years the area of medical technology
Medical technology
Medical Technology encompasses a wide range of healthcare products and is used to diagnose, monitor or treat diseases or medical conditions affecting humans. Such technologies are intended to improve the quality of healthcare delivered through earlier diagnosis, less invasive treatment options and...
(medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
s, implant
Implant (medicine)
An implant is a medical device manufactured to replace a missing biological structure, support a damaged biological structure, or enhance an existing biological structure. Medical implants are man-made devices, in contrast to a transplant, which is a transplanted biomedical tissue...
s for eye diseases) has been developed. Bausch & Lomb became well known because of its popular Ray-Ban brand of sunglasses, which was sold in 1999 to the Italian Luxottica
Luxottica
Luxottica Group S.p.A. is the world's largest eyewear company. Its best known brands include Ray-Ban, Persol and Oakley, Inc.. It also makes sunglasses and prescription frames for a multitude of designer brands such as Chanel and Prada, whose designs and trademarks are used under license...
Group. Today, the company employs about 13,000 people in 36 countries. The company was founded in 1853 by two Germans, John Jacob Bausch
John Jacob Bausch
John Jacob Bausch was a German-American maker of optical instruments who co-founded Bausch & Lomb ....
and Henry Lomb.
Early years
Bausch & Lomb was founded in 1853 by two German immigrants, John Jacob BauschJohn Jacob Bausch
John Jacob Bausch was a German-American maker of optical instruments who co-founded Bausch & Lomb ....
and Henry C. Lomb in Rochester, New York. A trained optician
Optician
An optician is a person who is trained to fill prescriptions for eye correction in the field of medicine, also known as a dispensing optician or optician, dispensing...
, Bausch found in Lomb the financier and partner he needed for a small but ambitious workshop producing monocle
Monocle
A monocle is a type of corrective lens used to correct or enhance the vision in only one eye. It consists of a circular lens, generally with a wire ring around the circumference that can be attached to a string. The other end of the string is then connected to the wearer's clothing to avoid losing...
s. In 1861, the company manufactured Vulcanite
Vulcanization
Vulcanization or vulcanisation is a chemical process for converting rubber or related polymers into more durable materials via the addition of sulfur or other equivalent "curatives." These additives modify the polymer by forming crosslinks between individual polymer chains. Vulcanized material is...
rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
eyeglass frames and other precision vision products.
Early growth of the company
During the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the blockade caused the price of gold and European horn to rise dramatically. This resulted in a growing demand for the Bausch & Lomb spectacles made from Vulcanite.
Microscope
A microscope is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy...
s. Later that year, the Bausch & Lomb Optical Company won a distinction at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. The company also produced photographic lenses (1883), spectacle lenses (1889), microtomes (1890), binoculars and telescopes (1893). From 1892 in cooperation with Zeiss in Germany, the company produced optical lenses
Lens (optics)
A lens is an optical device with perfect or approximate axial symmetry which transmits and refracts light, converging or diverging the beam. A simple lens consists of a single optical element...
. In this manner, at the end of the 19th century, the product range included eyeglasses, microscopes and binoculars
Binoculars
Binoculars, field glasses or binocular telescopes are a pair of identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes when viewing distant objects...
, as well as projector
Movie projector
A movie projector is an opto-mechanical device for displaying moving pictures by projecting them on a projection screen. Most of the optical and mechanical elements, except for the illumination and sound devices, are present in movie cameras.-Physiology:...
s, camera lenses and camera diaphragms.
Expansion of production at the beginning of the 20th century
With the growth of the US army, under President Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
and the build up of the naval fleet, Bausch & Lomb received the commission, through the supplier Saegmuller
George N. Saegmuller
George N. Saegmuller was a German-born American inventor of many astronomical instruments and other mechanical devices.He attended technical schools in Erlangen and Nuremberg. In 1870 he moved to the United States, where he settled in Washington, DC and began working for a craftsman involved in...
, to manufacture high-precision lenses for optical measurement and founded a joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
with Saegmuller. At the same time as this new expansion, the significance of scientific research was realized, and a research department with five members was started to develop new products and improve old ones. A new alliance with the Zeiss company in Germany ensured competitive advantages for the three participants, Bausch & Lomb, Saegmuller and Zeiss, in terms of patent use and opening new markets. In 1902, William Bausch, the son of the founder, developed a process to create the desired lens shape directly by casting molten glass. Previously, the glass parts for the lenses had to be separated, ground and polished in a complicated process, so this brought enormous savings in time and materials.
The company produced the first optical quality glass in America during the early to mid 1900s. By the year 1903 the company began manufacturing microscopes, binoculars, and camera shutters.
The First and Second World Wars
The further development of the firm was affected by political events. Because of the World Wars and the consequent need for optical instruments such as field glasses, target finders, camera lenses, binocular telescopes, searchlight mirrors, torpedo tube sights and periscopePeriscope
A periscope is an instrument for observation from a concealed position. In its simplest form it consists of a tube with mirrors at each end set parallel to each other at a 45-degree angle....
s, the product range could be considerably broadened. During this period, military products represented 70% of total production. One of the best-known developments in this period was the world-famous Ray-Ban brand sunglasses, developed for pilots in 1936.
Period after 1945
After the Second World War, the photography and eyeglass sectors were strengthened and production in these sectors, at least in part, was completely restructured. In addition, production facilities were opened in Canada, Brazil and Argentina.At a time when the cinema was being superseded by television, Bausch & Lomb managed a breakthrough with their CinemaScope
CinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
lens. For the first time, the new lens made the "wide screen" effect possible, enabling cinemas to double screen width and popularize the cinema once again.
After three years of development work, two years for the medical approval by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
) and an investment of three million USD, Bausch & Lomb brought the first contact lens
Contact lens
A contact lens, or simply contact, is a lens placed on the eye. They are considered medical devices and can be worn to correct vision, for cosmetic or therapeutic reasons. In 2004, it was estimated that 125 million people use contact lenses worldwide, including 28 to 38 million in the United...
es made of Poly-HEMA on the market in 1971. In contrast to the contact lenses available up to that time, made of glass and Lucite (acrylic glass
Acrylic glass
Poly is a transparent thermoplastic, often used as a light or shatter-resistant alternative to glass. It is sometimes called acrylic glass. Chemically, it is the synthetic polymer of methyl methacrylate...
), the new lenses were softer and considerably more pleasant to wear. Thereafter, the name "Soflens" became a brand name known worldwide.
A massive restructuring of the company began in the mid-80s. What had been the core divisions, the production of lenses for various purposes, were sold off. The sunglasses division was continued, since Ray-Ban glasses kept selling very well due to effective product placement
Product placement
Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
. By the planned acquisition of other firms, such as Polymer Technology Corporation and Dr. Mann Pharma, existing business areas, for example contact lens production, were strengthened and new ones were opened up. Finally in 1997, as a result of a series of company acquisitions, the division for the production of surgical products was established.
The company also produced the lenses for cameras which captured the first satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
images of the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
.
Company developments in recent years
Since then, Bausch & Lomb has developed into a globally operating company which is among the market leaders in contact lens production. The company headquarters is still in Rochester. From here, research and process development, as well as production plants all over the world, are coordinated. Today, about 13,000 employees in 36 countries work for the firm. Total turnover for the year 2006 was estimated at 2.29 billion USD. The company's competitors in the international health-care services market are Johnson & JohnsonJohnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
, Alcon
Alcon
Alcon incorporated and with corporate headquarters, in Hünenberg, Switzerland, is a global medical company specializing in eye care products. Alcon's U.S. headquarters is located in Fort Worth, Texas...
, Allergan
Allergan
Allergan, Inc., is a global specialty pharmaceutical company. Their product ranges include ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, dermatology products, and neurological products.-Profile:...
, MSD-Chibret and Ciba Vision
CIBA Vision
CIBA VISION is a company that researches, develops, and manufactures contact lenses and lens care products. A Novartis company, it is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia in the Johns Creek Technology Park. Manufacturing plants are also located in Germany, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia...
(Novartis). The development of new products is decisive and is an on-going process in which development teams for research, development and engineering work closely together. The various team members come from the manufacturing, technical, packaging, marketing, quality assurance and legal departments.
A new corporate headquarters was constructed in Rochester in 1995.
Chief executives
| Name | Title | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| John Jacob Bausch John Jacob Bausch John Jacob Bausch was a German-American maker of optical instruments who co-founded Bausch & Lomb .... |
President | 1885–1926 |
| Edward Bausch | President | 1926–1935 |
| M. Herbert Eisenhart | President | 1935 – December 1950 |
| Joseph F. Taylor | President | January 1950 – November 1954 |
| Carl S. Hallauer | President | November 1954 – March 1959 |
| William W. McQuilkin | President | March 1959 – May 1971 |
| Jack D. Harby | President | May 1971 – |
| Daniel G. Schuman | CEO | – April 1981 |
| Daniel E. Gill | CEO | April 1981 – December 1995 |
| William H. Waltrip | CEO (acting) | December 1995–1996 |
| William M. Carpenter | CEO | 1996 – November 2001 |
| Ronald L. Zarrella | CEO | November 2001 – January 2008 |
| Gerald M. Ostrov | Chairman and CEO | January 2008 – March 2010 |
| Brent L. Saunders | CEO | March 2010 – |
Business areas
Basically, the business areas are divided into three large divisions:- Vision Care: contact lenses and eye-care products
- Pharmaceuticals: medicines for various eye diseases and irritations
- Surgery: aids and implants
Although in the last few years several business areas in the Vision Care division have been developed in the framework of product diversification, the manufacture of contact lenses still accounted for 28 % of turnover in 2001 and was thus its main business activity. Besides the simplest "SofLens One Day" soft contact lens range, which have to be changed every day, the product assortment also includes higher quality lenses, such as the "SofLens Comfort" or "Seequence" lenses which can be changed after two weeks. The "SofLens66 Toric" were specially designed for people with astigmatism
Astigmatism
An optical system with astigmatism is one where rays that propagate in two perpendicular planes have different foci. If an optical system with astigmatism is used to form an image of a cross, the vertical and horizontal lines will be in sharp focus at two different distances...
. Lenses from the "Boston" range have a higher oxygen permeability and thus are more suited for people with sensitive or dry eyes. The newest and most advanced lens range is called "PureVision". These lenses are so oxygen-permeable that they can remain in the eye up to 30 days without being taken out at night. The second largest business, at 25 %, is the manufacture of lens-care products. As well as simple combination cleaning and disinfectant solutions for both soft and hard lenses, pH neutral solutions are available for people with particularly sensitive eyes.
The Pharmaceuticals division manufactures pharmaceutical eye products, which account for 21 % of turnover. This range covers prescription medicines for eye irritation, allergic reactions or high eye pressure. A further breakthrough is expected from the new Envision TD product range. This represents a new process for the precisely located dispensing of active substances to the eye. This is achieved by medical implants behind the eye. Due to the body's absorption process, the implant slowly decomposes and in so doing releases the desired active substance directly to the eye over a long period. Additionally, vitamins can be dispensed to counteract bacterial infection and allergic reactions, thus reducing loss of vision with advancing age. The development of this division was speeded up by take-overs of other firms.
The Surgicals division is divided into Refractive Surgery with 8 % of turnover and Cataract Vitreotinal Surgery with 18 %. The latter division is concerned with products for operations on glaucoma and cataracts and on the cornea, as well as implantable, interocular lenses. The Refractive Surgery division comprises mainly medical analysis devices and lasers required for eye surgery. In order to strengthen this division, the competing, market-leader companies Storz and Chiron were acquired.
Divestiture and sale
In 1999, Bausch & Lomb sold its high-end sunglasses division, Ray-Ban, which it had founded in 1937, to LuxotticaLuxottica
Luxottica Group S.p.A. is the world's largest eyewear company. Its best known brands include Ray-Ban, Persol and Oakley, Inc.. It also makes sunglasses and prescription frames for a multitude of designer brands such as Chanel and Prada, whose designs and trademarks are used under license...
.
In May 2007, the company announced plans to be acquired by Warburg Pincus
Warburg Pincus
Warburg Pincus, LLC is an American private equity firm with offices in the United States, Europe, Brazil and Asia. It has been a private equity investor since 1966...
, a private equity firm based in New York City. Advanced Medical Optics
Advanced Medical Optics
Abbott Medical Optics Inc. earlier known as Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. is a global medical supply company. Products in the ophthalmic surgical line include intraocular lenses, laser vision correction systems, phacoemulsification systems, viscoelastics, microkeratomes and related products used...
also announced an interest in the company. In August 2007, B & L terminated talks with Advanced Medical Optics, and completed its merger with Warburg Pincus in October 2007.
PureVision
Bausch & Lomb was in a lawsuit with NovartisNovartis
Novartis International AG is a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland, ranking number three in sales among the world-wide industry...
which claimed to have patents on a Bausch & Lomb product called PureVision. On June 26, 2002, a federal judge ruled that Bausch & Lomb did infringe on Ciba Vision
CIBA Vision
CIBA VISION is a company that researches, develops, and manufactures contact lenses and lens care products. A Novartis company, it is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia in the Johns Creek Technology Park. Manufacturing plants are also located in Germany, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia...
(a subsidiary of Novartis) patents.
On July 2, 2004, the company announced that it had licensed the intellectual property of Novartis. Bausch & Lomb will pay the Ciba Vision unit of Novartis a royalty on net U.S. sales of its PureVision brand contact lenses until 2014 and on net sales outside the U.S. until 2016.
ReNu
On April 11, 2006, Bausch & Lomb stopped shipments of its ReNu
ReNu
ReNu is a brand of soft contact lens care products produced by Bausch & Lomb. It was by far the most popular brand of lens solutions until 2006. The original products are still availabe as renu fresh and renu sensitive...
with MoistureLoc contact lens solution when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
(CDC) announced there was a high correlation between use of the product and cases of suspected fungal keratitis
Keratitis
Keratitis is a condition in which the eye's cornea, the front part of the eye, becomes inflamed. The condition is often marked by moderate to intense pain and usually involves impaired eyesight.-Types:...
. The Centers for Disease Control found that "nearly all of the company's ReNu with MoistureLoc eye care products were linked to severe fungal eye infections". Two class action lawsuits have been filed against Bausch & Lomb in relation to the eye fungus problems.
Diversity
Bausch & Lomb received a 100% rating on the Corporate Equality Index released by the Human Rights CampaignHuman Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...
starting in 2003, the second year of the report.