Founded in 1945, Alcon Laboratories, Inc. traces its roots back to two pharmacists, Robert Alexander and William Conner, who opened a small pharmacy in Fort Worth, Texas, and combined the first syllables of their last names to create the name Alcon.

Majority owned by Nestlé S.A. and incorporated in Hünenberg, Switzerland with U.S. operations based in Fort Worth, Texas, our team of nearly 15,000 dedicated employees worldwide develops, manufactures, and distributes hundreds of eye care products in more than 180 countries. This seasoned and diverse group of people, who encircle the globe, are united by a common mission: to make Alcon the most trusted eye care company worldwide and the first choice of eye care professionals and their patients.

In March 2002, Alcon conducted a partial initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Nestlé still owns approximately 75 percent of the company.

Alcon´s core business is centered on three key divisions – Surgical, Pharmaceutical and Consumer Vision Care. As of 2007, sales reached US$5.6 billion.

We conduct our business from Alcon offices located in 75 countries around the world in regions including Canada and the Far East; Europe, Middle East and Africa; Latin America and the Caribbean; and the United States.

Alcon continues to build its position as the worldwide leader in pharmaceuticals for the eye by continuing to advance treatments for diseases such as glaucoma, infection and allergy, while also expanding focus into relatively unknown areas such as, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and other sight-threatening diseases. Our intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering
TRAVATAN Z® Solution is changing the treatment of glaucoma, still a leading cause of blindness today.