Novartis then placed CIBA Vision® under the management of Alcon thereby consolidating its eye care business under one management. Today the contact lenses produced by Novartis’s eye care business unit bear the Alcon® brand name, while the CIBA Vision® brand has been phased out. To truly appreciate the value of Alcon’s place in the contact lens world one needs to look back at the achievements of its acquisitions. Under the auspices of CIBA Vision®. In 1980 CIBA Vision® launched the first ever visibility tinted contact lens. This was an innovative step in making contact lens handling easier and more convenient for wearers. Then in 1983 the first FDA approved soft bifocal was launched, and then the first color enhancing contact lenses. In 1990 CIBA Vision® launched the first planned replacement lens and in 1996 a one-day disposable lens. In 2000 CIBA Vision purchased a competitor that provided them access to the leading opaque colored lens technology. This technology allowed wearers to change their eye color from brown to blue or vice versa, a truly cosmetic addition to the contact lens business at CIBA Vision®. Sold under the Freshlook® Opaque and Freshlook Colorblends® brands, these products allowed CIBA Vision® to dominate the colored lens market worldwide. The company continued with the introduction of other innovative products right up to its integration into Alcon in 2013.
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