Bausch + Lomb this week announced the completion of a big expansion project in Rochester.
It includes a new 115,000-square-foot building at the facility off North Goodman Street, with what the company said are state-of-the-art production lines that manufacture the company’s recently introduced Ultra One Day daily disposable lens, also known as Bausch + Lomb Infuse.
Company president Joe Gordon said this product, designed to minimize the problem that some contact lens wearers have with dryness and discomfort, has already been well-received by both eye care professionals and patients, and he said it has a lot of potential in terms of future sales.
“This is the biggest initiative for Bausch + Lomb, not just in Rochester, for Bausch + Lomb, global,” Gordon said. “This silicone hydrogel product, we’ve got great plans for it. It’s a great contact lens. It’s just launched in a couple of those markets in the U.S., and I’ve to tell you, where it’s launched, it’s doing great.”
With the new expansion, Bausch + Lomb hired about 100 more workers and Gordon said there is the possibility it will eventually result in more positions being added in Rochester.
Bausch + Lomb now employs nearly 1,200 people in Rochester with the recent expansion.
Gordon said the upgrades at the Rochester facility will also help the company launch a new multifocal lens next year.
B+L’s parent company, Bausch Health Companies, has been talking about spinning off the eye care business into a separate company, but even with that move, Gordon said Bausch is still committed to the Rochester area.
“It goes hand in hand with Rochester," Gordon said. "Our Bausch + Lomb mission is to help patients see better to live better. And Rochester is a poster child for us on how we're accomplishing our mission here at Bausch + Lomb."
