Innovation
Driven by our purpose of helping people see brilliantly, we transform eye care possibilities into therapeutic realities through the discovery and development of innovative eye care products and treatments.
Sight Matters
We are dedicated to helping people see brilliantly by offering the widest array of eye care and eye health offerings with products that can treat the entire eye at each stage of life.
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1.7 B
Have Presbyopia1
What Causes Presbyopia
Presbyopia is the gradual loss of the eye’s ability to actively focus on close objects. It occurs with the natural course of aging – generally starting around the age of 40 – and requires some form of vision correction to deal with its effect.
20 M
People are Blind from Cataracts2
What Causes Cataracts
Most cataracts develop from advanced aging.3 As the body ages, the lens of the eye, which consists of water and protein, can become cloudy due to protein clumping together, scattering the light landing on the retina and causing visual impairment. When the cataract blocks light, vision is disrupted.4
153 M
Have Uncorrected Refractive Errors2
The Burden of Uncorrected Refractive Errors
More than 12.8 million children globally, ages 5 to 15, are visually impaired due to uncorrected refractive errors as a result of nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism – conditions which, with a simple eye exam, can be treated with contact lenses or surgical procedure.5
1.4 B
People Worldwide Have Symptoms of Dry Eye6
What Causes Dry Eyes
Dry eyes are caused by a lack of sufficient moisture in the eyes because of an inadequate quality or quantity of tears.7 If the eyes are not lubricated enough, either by low quantity or poor quality of tears, it causes discomfort and leads to irritation.
Contact Lenses & Solutions
Contact lenses are a way to get clear vision while having the freedom and flexibility to move in many environments. Find the right contact lenses and contact lens solution for your vision and lifestyle needs.
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Eye Care Products
Discover products for all aspects of vision care. From dry eyes to eye allergies, find relief or manage your eye health with our eye care products.
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Cataracts
Cataracts occur when protein accumulates in the lens of the eye, resulting in blurred or hazy vision. Cataracts are a common and natural part of aging, but there are many options for addressing cataracts, along with improved vision.
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Glaucoma
LASIK & Refractive Technology
LASIK, or laser eye surgery, is a procedure to treat common vision problems like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Refractive Technology is used in corrective eye surgery of refractive errors like hyperopia, myopia, astigmatism and presbyopia. Find advanced tools and devices to meet the requirements of both your therapeutic procedures and your patients.
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Vitreoretinal
Vitreoretinal surgery restores, preserves and enhances vision for eye conditions affecting the retina, macula and vitreous fluid. Explore the most comprehensive portfolio of innovative ophthalmic surgical products to achieve optimal results.
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A Pipeline for the Future
R&D is the foundation for how we improve people’s lives. We’ve made one of the largest R&D commitments of any surgical and vision care company, with more than 1,600 associates worldwide researching and developing treatments for vision conditions and eye diseases. In addition to our in-house R&D capabilities, we consider external innovation opportunities and routinely screen for companies developing emerging technologies that could enhance our existing product offerings or lead to innovative new products for eye disorders. Our pipeline has never been stronger as we aim to strengthen our Vision Care and Surgical portfolios.
Including nuclear cataract, posterior subcapsular cataract and cortical cataract
Cataracts
Including diagnosis and treatments for near-sightedness, far-sightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia
Refractive errors
Including all needed surgical equipment as instrumentation, lasers and vision systems
Vitreoretinal Disorders
Including non-Rx dry eye drops, contact lens care solutions, ocular vitamins, non-Rx allergy drops, and non-Rx red eye drops
Ocular Health
External Innovation Opportunities
Are you interested in an alliance or in-licensing partnership that could enrich our pipeline and enhance the field of ocular health and disease management? Do you have an idea for which you are seeking seed stage funding? Alcon is equipped to engage in external innovation through a variety of different mechanisms, including the Alcon Seed Fund (ASF) for early stage technologies and Business Development and Licensing (BD&L) for emerging product innovations and opportunities.
Share your idea or technology here for a potential innovation opportunity.
Alcon Research Institute
In 1981, Alcon set out to help support research in eye health and to expand the frontiers of vision sciences globally – from this concept Alcon Research Institute (ARI) was born. Since then, the ARI has had a significant impact on the study of ocular diseases and has become a bridge to building partnerships with leading researchers around the world.
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Partnerships
Millions of patients in India suffer from corneal blindness. Yet, across the country, fewer than 600 ophthalmic surgeons are trained in corneal transplantation. That’s simply not enough to meet the demand. What if we could train the country’s 15,000 cataract surgeons to help restore sight for those living in darkness? Thanks to SightLife’s fellowship at Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital, we can. Alcon Foundation is proud to support SightLife’s mission. Together, we can eliminate corneal blindness by deepening surgeon skillsets and expanding opportunities for care.
References
- Global Prevalence of Presbyopia and Vision Impairment, 2018 Oct;125(10):1492-1499. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha
- World Health Organization (WHO), www.who.int/blindness
- American Academy of Ophthalmolgoy. What are Cataracts. https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-are-cataracts [Accessed March 2019].
- Web MD. A Visual Guide to Cataracts. https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/cataracts/ss/slideshow-cataracts [Accessed March 2019].
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, Global magnitude of visual impairment caused by uncorrected refractive errors in 2004. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2647357/[Accessed March 2019]
- Market Scope 2021 Dry Eye Report
- National Eye Institute. Facts About Dry Eye. https://nei.nih.gov/health/dryeye/dryeye [Accessed March 2019].