The Cooper Companies
A global medical-device company operating through CooperVision, focused on contact lenses, and CooperSurgical, focused on women's health, fertility and genomics.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
The Cooper Companies is a United States-based global medical-device company headquartered in San Ramon, California. Its operations are organized primarily through two business units: CooperVision and CooperSurgical. CooperVision develops, manufactures and distributes contact lenses for consumers and eye-care professionals, while CooperSurgical supplies medical devices, fertility products and genomic services for women's healthcare. The company's roots trace to 1958, when lawyer Parker Montgomery acquired Martin H. Smith Co. The business was renamed Cooper, Tinsley Laboratories in 1961 and Cooper Laboratories in 1967. Its move into ophthalmic products began in 1972 with the acquisition of British contact-lens maker GlobalVision. This acquisition established the area that later developed into CooperVision and provided the foundation for the company's long-term concentration on vision correction. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the company broadened its organizational structure. In 1980, Cooper Laboratories was reorganized into CooperVision, CooperCare and CooperBiomedical, followed in 1981 by the addition of Cooper Medical Devices. The corporate name became The Cooper Companies in 1987. In 1990, the company was further structured around CooperVision, CooperSurgical and CooperVision Pharmaceuticals. The pharmaceutical unit was later dissolved in 2003, leaving the company increasingly centered on contact lenses and women's healthcare. CooperVision serves contact-lens wearers and eye-care practitioners with daily, two-week and monthly disposable lenses, as well as spherical, toric and multifocal designs. Its products address common vision needs including nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia. Recognized product families include Biofinity and MyDay, although the business also maintains a wider portfolio spanning different replacement schedules and optical designs. CooperSurgical is the company's women's-health platform. It operates in areas including fertility treatment, reproductive health, medical devices and genomics. Its activities include products and services used by clinicians, fertility specialists and patients. The unit's expansion has increasingly relied on acquisitions, including AEGEA Medical, Safe Obstetric Systems, Generate Life Sciences and Cook Medical's reproductive-health business. These transactions expanded CooperSurgical beyond conventional devices into fertility testing, reproductive medicine, genomic products and related services. The company's strategic profile is therefore based on specialized medical technology rather than consumer healthcare alone. CooperVision combines recurring demand for corrective lenses with product innovation in daily disposable, toric, multifocal and other lens categories. CooperSurgical gives the group exposure to women's health and fertility markets, where products and services are used across clinical, surgical, laboratory and reproductive-care settings. The company is publicly traded under the ticker COO and remains active as a multinational medical-device enterprise.
History
The Cooper Companies developed from Martin H. Smith Co., acquired by lawyer Parker Montgomery in 1958. The business adopted the name Cooper, Tinsley Laboratories in 1961 and became Cooper Laboratories in 1967. Its decisive move into contact lenses came in 1972, when it acquired British lens manufacturer GlobalVision. The company expanded and reorganized during the following decade. In 1980, Cooper Laboratories established several business groups, including CooperVision, CooperCare and CooperBiomedical. Cooper Medical Devices was added in 1981. The corporate identity changed to The Cooper Companies in 1987. In 1990, the business was reorganized around CooperVision, CooperSurgical and CooperVision Pharmaceuticals. The pharmaceutical unit was eventually dissolved in 2003. CooperVision became the company's ophthalmic business, serving both contact-lens users and eye-care professionals. Its product range developed across daily, two-week and monthly replacement lenses, along with spherical, toric and multifocal products intended for different refractive needs. The business includes lenses for myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and presbyopia. CooperSurgical became the company's women's-health and fertility platform. It is headquartered in Trumbull, Connecticut, and has expanded its scope through acquisitions. CooperSurgical acquired AEGEA Medical in February 2021, followed by Safe Obstetric Systems in March 2021 and Generate Life Sciences in December 2021. In March 2022, it acquired Cook Medical's reproductive-health business. The company also acquired EnsEyers in 2022, strengthening its exposure to orthokeratology and scleral contact lenses through the relevant business activities. Today, CooperCompanies operates principally through CooperVision and CooperSurgical. The first addresses vision correction through contact lenses and related ophthalmic products. The second serves women's health through medical devices, fertility products, reproductive-health technologies and genomic offerings. This two-platform structure gives the company a combination of established ophthalmic products and broader participation in fertility and women's healthcare.
- 2022
Expansion in reproductive health and specialty lenses
[1]The company acquired Cook Medical's reproductive-health business and EnsEyers, a supplier associated with orthokeratology and scleral lenses.
- 2021
Expansion of CooperSurgical through three acquisitions
[1]CooperSurgical acquired AEGEA Medical, Safe Obstetric Systems and Generate Life Sciences, extending its women's-health, fertility and genomics activities.
- 2005
Ocular Sciences acquired
[1]CooperVision acquired Ocular Sciences to expand its contact-lens operations.
- 2003
CooperVision Pharmaceuticals dissolved
[1]The pharmaceutical business unit was dissolved, leaving the company more focused on vision and women's health.
- 1990
Reorganization around three business units
[1]The company organized its operations around CooperVision, CooperSurgical and CooperVision Pharmaceuticals.
- 1987
Corporate name becomes The Cooper Companies
[1]The company adopted the name The Cooper Companies.
- 1981
Cooper Medical Devices added
[1]A fourth business group, Cooper Medical Devices, was added to the organization.
- 1980
Creation of major operating groups
[1]Cooper Laboratories reorganized into CooperVision, CooperCare and CooperBiomedical.
- 1972
Entry into contact lenses
[1]The company entered the contact-lens business by acquiring British manufacturer GlobalVision.
- 1967
Renamed Cooper Laboratories
[1]The corporate name changed to Cooper Laboratories.
Products and positioning
A specialized global medical-device company combining ophthalmic technology with women's health, fertility and genomics. The business emphasizes clinical utility, product breadth and innovation for eye-care and reproductive-health professionals.
Ophthalmic medical devices
CooperVision contact lenses
CooperVision manufactures contact lenses for consumers and eye-care professionals. Its portfolio includes daily disposable, two-week and monthly replacement lenses, together with spherical, toric and multifocal designs. These products are intended to address myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and presbyopia across different wearing and replacement preferences.
Monthly contact lenses
Biofinity
Biofinity is a CooperVision contact-lens family within the company's broader portfolio of monthly replacement products. The range is associated with multiple optical designs serving different vision-correction needs, including products for standard correction, astigmatism and presbyopia.
Daily disposable contact lenses
MyDay
MyDay is a CooperVision daily disposable contact-lens family. It represents the company's participation in the daily-replacement segment, where lenses are worn for a single day and replaced rather than cleaned and reused.
Women's-health medical devices · 1990
CooperSurgical women's-health devices
CooperSurgical supplies medical devices used in women's healthcare, including products associated with obstetric, surgical and reproductive-health procedures. The business serves healthcare professionals and institutions rather than operating solely as a consumer brand.
Fertility and genomics
CooperSurgical fertility and genomic products
The CooperSurgical platform includes fertility products, reproductive-health technologies and genomic offerings. Its expansion through Generate Life Sciences and other acquisitions broadened the company from device manufacturing into services and technologies supporting fertility and reproductive medicine.
Intrauterine contraceptive device
Paragard
Paragard is an intrauterine contraceptive device associated with CooperSurgical's women's-health portfolio. It is a medical product used in reproductive healthcare and forms part of the company's broader offering beyond fertility and surgical devices.
Brand decisions
2022
Expand reproductive health and specialty contact lensesM&ABackground
The company continued to pursue adjacent medical-device and specialty-lens capabilities.
Action taken
It acquired Cook Medical's reproductive-health business and EnsEyers.
Aftermath
The acquisitions strengthened the reproductive-health platform and added exposure to orthokeratology and scleral contact lenses.
2021
Build CooperSurgical through a sequence of acquisitionsM&ABackground
CooperSurgical sought to broaden its women's-health business across medical devices, obstetrics, fertility and genomics.
Action taken
It acquired AEGEA Medical, Safe Obstetric Systems and Generate Life Sciences.
Aftermath
The transactions expanded CooperSurgical's technology and product scope in women's health and reproductive medicine.
1990
Organize around CooperVision and CooperSurgicalStrategyBackground
The company was consolidating its operations into clearer operating platforms after several reorganizations.
Action taken
It established CooperVision, CooperSurgical and CooperVision Pharmaceuticals as business units.
Aftermath
Although the pharmaceutical unit was later dissolved, the CooperVision and CooperSurgical platforms became the core of the company.
1972
Acquire GlobalVision to enter contact lensesM&ABackground
The company was seeking a position in ophthalmic products and contact-lens manufacturing.
Action taken
It acquired British contact-lens maker GlobalVision.
Aftermath
The transaction established the foundation for the later CooperVision business.
Recent events
- 2022
CooperSurgical acquires Cook Medical's reproductive-health business[1]
M&A
CooperSurgical acquired Cook Medical's reproductive-health business, adding products and capabilities in reproductive medicine.
- 2022
CooperVision expands orthokeratology and scleral-lens capabilities[1]
M&A · Product generation
During 2022, the company acquired EnsEyers, a supplier associated with orthokeratology and scleral contact lenses.
- 2021
CooperSurgical acquires AEGEA Medical[1]
M&A
CooperSurgical acquired AEGEA Medical, adding another medical-device business to its women's-health portfolio.
- 2021
CooperSurgical acquires Safe Obstetric Systems[1]
M&A
The company acquired Safe Obstetric Systems as part of CooperSurgical's expansion in obstetric and women's-health devices.
- 2021
CooperSurgical acquires Generate Life Sciences[1]
M&A
CooperSurgical acquired Generate Life Sciences, broadening the company’s activities in fertility, reproductive medicine and genomics.
- 2005
CooperVision acquires Ocular Sciences[1]
M&A
CooperVision acquired Ocular Sciences, expanding its contact-lens business and strengthening its position in the ophthalmic-device market.
Sources6 sources
- 1The Cooper Companiesen.wikipedia.org
- 2The Cooper Companies official websitecoopercos.com
- 3CooperCompanies Acquires obp Medicalbiospace.com
- 4CooperCompanies CEO steps down and ex-STERIS CEO Rosebrough runs operations (NASDAQ: COO)dailypolitical.com
- 5CooperSurgical Acquires Obp Medical For About $60 Mlnfinanznachrichten.de
- 6Generate Life Sciences to be acquired by CooperCompaniesprnewswire.com
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