Bausch

Sub-brand

Unclaimed Request correction

Bausch is a Generic Pharma brand from Canada.

Last updated August 31, 2026

AI crawler reads

No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.

Overview

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.

History

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.

2023
Miebo approved for dry eye
[6]FDA approval of Miebofda.gov
The FDA approved Miebo for signs and symptoms of dry-eye disease associated with meibomian gland dysfunction.
2022
Separation and public listing
[3]Bausch + Lomb separation and NYSE listing announcementir.bausch.com
Bausch + Lomb separated from Bausch Health Companies and listed on the New York Stock Exchange as BLCO.
2016
Xiidra approved in the United States
[5]FDA approval of Xiidrafda.gov
The FDA approved Xiidra, a prescription treatment for the signs and symptoms of dry-eye disease.
2013
Acquired by Valeant
[9]Acquired by Valeantsec.gov
Valeant Pharmaceuticals completed its acquisition of Bausch + Lomb, adding the eye-health business to its pharmaceutical group.
2007
Acquired by Warburg Pincus
[8]Acquired by Warburg Pincussec.gov
Warburg Pincus acquired Bausch + Lomb and took the company private.
1999
Ray-Ban sold to Luxottica
[7]Ray-Ban sold to Luxotticaluxottica.com
Bausch + Lomb sold the Ray-Ban eyewear business to Luxottica.
1937
Ray-Ban brand introduced
[1]Bausch + Lomb company historybausch.com
Bausch + Lomb introduced Ray-Ban sunglasses, which later became a major eyewear brand before its sale to Luxottica.
1903
Expansion into precision optical instruments
[1]Bausch + Lomb company historybausch.com
The company’s optical manufacturing activities expanded across scientific, photographic, and other precision applications.
1853
Optical business founded in Rochester
[1]Bausch + Lomb company historybausch.com
John Jacob Bausch and Henry Lomb established the business that became Bausch + Lomb in Rochester, New York.

Products and positioning

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

Contact lenses
ULTRA
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.
Daily disposable contact lenses
Biotrue ONEday
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.
Lens care and eye care
Biotrue
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.
Over-the-counter eye drops · 2018
Lumify
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.
Prescription ophthalmic medicine · 2016
Xiidra
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.
Prescription ophthalmic medicine · 2023
Miebo
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.
Intraocular lenses
enVista
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.

Controversies

2006
Accounting and regulatory issues before the 2007 buyout
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.
Source

2023
Launch of Miebo in the United StatesProduct launch
Background
Meibomian gland dysfunction is a recognized contributor to evaporative dry-eye disease and represented a targeted treatment opportunity.
Action taken
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.
Source
2022
Spin-off into an independent eye-health companyStrategy
Background
Bausch Health sought to separate its eye-health assets from its other pharmaceutical businesses and unlock a focused public-market vehicle.
Action taken
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.
Source
2013
Sale to Valeant PharmaceuticalsM&A
Background
Bausch + Lomb was a major standalone eye-health company with established contact-lens, pharmaceutical, and surgical businesses.
Action taken
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.
Source

Recent events

2023
FDA approves Miebo for dry-eye disease[6]FDA approval of Miebofda.gov
Product launch
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.
2023
Bausch + Lomb expands its daily disposable contact-lens portfolio[13]Bausch + Lomb expands its daily disposable contact-lens portfoliobausch.com
Product launch · Product generation
The company continued commercial expansion of newer daily disposable and silicone-hydrogel contact-lens products, including products marketed under the INFUSE and Biotrue families.
2023
Brent Saunders returns as Bausch + Lomb chief executive[13]Bausch + Lomb expands its daily disposable contact-lens portfoliobausch.com
Leadership change
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.
2023
Bausch + Lomb agrees to acquire Xiidra from Novartis[11]博士伦就ReNu with MoistureLoc消费者诉讼达成和解en.wikipedia.org
M&A
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.
2023
Bausch + Lomb acquires the Blink eye-care portfolio[11]博士伦就ReNu with MoistureLoc消费者诉讼达成和解en.wikipedia.org
M&A
Bausch + Lomb acquired the Blink portfolio of eye-care products from Johnson & Johnson.
2022
Bausch + Lomb begins trading as an independent public company[14]Bausch + Lomb begins trading as an independent public companybausch.com
M&A · Other
Bausch + Lomb completed its separation from Bausch Health Companies and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BLCO.
2022
Bausch + Lomb becomes an independently listed public company[13]Bausch + Lomb expands its daily disposable contact-lens portfoliobausch.com
M&A · Other
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.
2022
Bausch + Lomb returns to public markets[11]博士伦就ReNu with MoistureLoc消费者诉讼达成和解en.wikipedia.org
Other
Bausch + Lomb completed an initial public offering on May 6, returning the company to public trading.
2022
Bausch + Lomb completes separation from Bausch Health[15]博士伦完成从博士康的分拆bausch.com
M&A
Bausch + Lomb became an independent public company, listed on NYSE under ticker BLCO.
2016
FDA approves Xiidra for signs and symptoms of dry eye[5]FDA approval of Xiidrafda.gov
Product launch
Xiidra became the first prescription medicine approved in the United States specifically to treat both signs and symptoms of dry-eye disease.

Showing the 10 most recent.

Sources18 sources

Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/bausch · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled