Alcon Makes FORTUNE's ''100 Best Companies To Work For'' List for Eighth Consecutive Year.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Alcon (NYSE:ACL) climbed ten spots on FORTUNE's annual listing of the "100 Best Companies To Work For," placing 32nd on the 2006 list after ranking 42nd last year. It is the eighth consecutive year the company has been included on the list, Alcon announced today.

"It is very gratifying to be recognized by FORTUNE as one of the best places to work," Alcon Chairman, President and CEO Cary Rayment said. "At Alcon, we strive to create a work environment that will motivate our employees and reward them for their contributions. We feel truly fortunate to have wonderful employees who are committed to our mission of advancing the preservation and enhancement of vision.

"We would not be the industry-leading company we are today without the passion, dedication, and creativity of our family of employees," Rayment said. "In turn, we want to offer a workplace that will provide a greater opportunity for personal and professional success while paving the way for the development and marketing of products that not only improve vision, but enrich lives."

In naming Alcon to the annual ranking over the past eight years, FORTUNE has cited the company's comprehensive benefits package, generous compensation and its welcoming corporate campus. Alcon is the only Tarrant County company on the list, and one of four companies with U.S. headquarters in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Of the 35 companies classified as "mid-sized" - those with 2,500-10,000 employees - Alcon ranked 13th.

"We are proud of the fact that we have made the list for eight of the nine years it has been published, and that we rose so significantly from last year's rankings," said Vice President of Human Resources Kay Cox. "It's a real tribute to our employees, and shows us that we're certainly doing something right!"

As a part of the selection process, FORTUNE screens a wide range of organizations from throughout the country, which are evaluated on company policies and unique practices. The ranking is based primarily on anonymous employee responses to a 57-question survey that measures items such as job satisfaction and camaraderie, with a smaller portion of the total score based on an evaluation of the company's policies and culture.

The complete list of companies will appear in the January 23 issue of FORTUNE, which will be available on newsstands January 16. The results also can be found on www.fortune.com.

About Alcon

Alcon, Inc. is the world's leading eye care company. Alcon, which has been dedicated to the ophthalmic industry for more than 50 years, develops, manufactures and markets pharmaceuticals, surgical equipment and devices, contact lens solutions and other vision care products that treat diseases, disorders and other conditions of the eye.