Founded in 1945, Alcon 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. The strengths of Alcon, CIBA VISION and Novartis Ophthalmics unite into one eye care business with Alcon becoming the second largest division of Novartis. With these collective resources and scale, Alcon offers the widest spectrum of eye care products in Surgical, Pharmaceutical and Vision Care across 180 markets and runs operations in 75 countries. Alcon has nearly 2,000 associates dedicated to research and development around the world working to address the world’s most pressing eye care needs. Our dedication to eye care extends to professional education at a level unmatched in the industry. Learn more about Alcon’s research and development efforts.