Bausch & Lomb Launches 150th Anniversary Year.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 3, 2003

Bausch & Lomb

-- Donates One Million Dollars to Help Eradicate Preventable

Blindness

-- Announces Global Day of Caring in April

-- Debuts Program to Honor U.S. Eye Doctors for Professional

Ideals

-- Rings Closing Bell at New York Stock Exchange

One hundred fifty years to the day after its founding as a small optical shop in Rochester, New York, Bausch & Lomb, the global eye health company, today launched a yearlong celebration of its 150 years in business by announcing three major initiatives and ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

Founded in 1853 by German immigrants John Jacob Bausch and Henry Lomb, Bausch & Lomb's heritage in vision care is second to none. What began as a small shop selling spectacles and magnifiers imported from Europe is today a global company with nearly $2 billion in sales, 11,500 employees and strong franchises in contact lenses and lens care products, and ophthalmic surgical and pharmaceutical products.

"Our founders knew that a commitment to constant innovation was key to building a successful company," said Ronald L. Zarrella, Bausch & Lomb chairman and CEO. "They understood that being good partners - with each other and with their customers - was not just the right thing to do, but could also be a competitive advantage. They never forgot that they couldn't succeed except through the efforts of their employees. They were dedicated to perfecting vision and enhancing life 150 years ago - and we remain committed to their values today."

Bausch & Lomb, in keeping with its long heritage of service to society, has donated $1 million to the international organization Vision 2020 - The Right to Sight, a collaborative effort of the World Health Organization and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. Its goal is to eliminate the main causes of avoidable blindness by 2020. (See details below.)

Bausch & Lomb has proclaimed April 29, 2004, as its Global Day of Caring. On that day, Bausch & Lomb employees around the world will participate in charitable and public service projects as a way to thank their local communities for supporting the company's operations.

Bausch & Lomb also announced its new Visionaries Recognition Program to honor the contributions of U.S. eye care professionals who embody the highest ideals in vision care and who personify the company's commitment to Perfecting Vision. Enhancing Life.(TM) Five nominees will be selected in 2004 as Visionaries and Bausch & Lomb will donate a total of $150,000 to the vision-related charities of their choice. (See details below.)

At 4 p.m. Eastern time, Bausch & Lomb Chairman and CEO Ron Zarrella will ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Joining him on the podium will be leaders in the eye care professions of ophthalmology and optometry and Bausch & Lomb employees from around the world who were chosen as examples of the company's dedication to service, professionalism and innovation.

NYSE Photos and Video Available:

Photos available via Associated Press/New York (212.621.1902), Reuters America (646.223.6285) and Bloomberg Photo (212.893.3420).

Video feed of The Closing Bell(TM) starts at 3:55 p.m. Eastern and is available via fiber line at Waterfront #1630.

News Media Contact:
Margaret Graham
585.338.5469
[e-mail]

Investor Relations:
Daniel L. Ritz
585.338.5802
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Bausch & Lomb is the eye health company, dedicated to perfecting vision and enhancing life for consumers around the world. Its core businesses include soft and rigid gas permeable contact lenses and lens care products, and ophthalmic surgical and pharmaceutical products. The Bausch & Lomb name is one of the best known and most respected healthcare brands in the world. Celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2003, the Company is headquartered in Rochester, New York. Bausch & Lomb's 2002 revenues were $1.8 billion; it employs approximately 11,500 people worldwide and its products are available in more than 100 countries. More information about the Company can be found on the Bausch & Lomb Web site at www.bausch.com. Copyright Bausch & Lomb.

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News From VISION 2020: The Right to Sight


     BAUSCH & LOMB TO DONATE US$1 MILLION TO INTERNATIONAL EFFORT
                         TO PREVENT BLINDNESS

LONDON and NEW YORK - Bausch & Lomb, one of the world's premier eye health companies, will donate US$1 million to VISION 2020: The Right to Sight in support of the quest to eliminate preventable and treatable blindness throughout the world by the year 2020.

Bausch & Lomb is the first Corporate Patron of VISION 2020.

"We are delighted that Bausch & Lomb, the leading name in eye health around the world, is joining with us as together we work with the World Health Organization, developing nations and non-governmental organizations to eradicate preventable blindness," said Dr. Gullapali N. Rao, Senior Vice President and President-Elect of IAPB / VISION 2020. "Eighty percent of the world's blindness is avoidable and the treatments available today are considered to be the most successful and effective of all health interventions. As an outstanding corporate citizen of the worldwide community, Bausch & Lomb has stepped forward with this generous donation to help bring the joy of sight to the people of the world."

Bausch & Lomb's donation comes as the company, founded in Rochester, New York, in 1853, marks its 150-year anniversary.

Ronald L. Zarrella, Bausch & Lomb Chairman and CEO, said, "Our company was founded with one purpose: to improve the way people see. As part of our commitment to perfecting vision and enhancing life, we have joined with IAPB/VISION 2020 in this international effort to mobilize the resources of governments, care-giving organizations and industry to prevent blindness."

NOTES TO EDITOR

-- VISION 2020: The Right to Sight is a global initiative of the

International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)

and the World Health Organization (WHO), with a coalition of

international Non-Governmental Organisations. VISION 2020 aims

to eliminate unnecessary blindness in order to give all people

in the world, particularly the millions of needlessly blind,

The Right to Sight.

-- Since its launch in 1999, VISION 2020: The Right to Sight, a

global initiative to help eliminate needless blindness by the

year 2020, has made great progress in eliminating many of the

causes of avoidable blindness. The causes are frequently

associated with poverty and lack of access to quality eye care

services.

-- Prevention and treatment intervention for vision loss are

among the most cost effective health interventions currently

available, including cataract surgery, prevention of trachoma,

Mectizan for the treatment of Onchocerciasis, Vitamin A for

the prevention of childhood blindness, and the provision of

spectacles for individuals with refractive errors (e.g.

myopia).

-- Every five seconds one person in our world goes blind...and a

child goes blind every minute.

-- There are 45 million blind people and 135 million with low

vision, comprising a total of 180 million people with

significantly poor vision.(1)

-- 80% of blindness is avoidable (either treatable 60% or

preventable 20%)

-- 90% of the world's blind people live in developing countries;

there are at least nine million blind people in India, six

million in China, and seven million in Africa.

-- The successful implementation of the VISION 2020: The Right to

Sight initiative will result in a minimum saving of US$102

billion in lost productivity by the year 2020.(1)

-- If current trends continue the world's population will

increase from 6.1 billion in 2000, to 7.5 billion in 2020,

with the proportion of people over 65 years old predicated to

grow from 7% to 9% of the population. These figures will

almost double the number of blind individuals worldwide.(1)

-- VISION 2020: The Right to Sight will reduce the prevalence of

blindness worldwide, from 44 million in 2000, to 24 million in

2020, despite world population growth. Shockingly, without

VISION 2020: The Right to Sight, 76 million people will be

blind in the year 2020 of which more than half will be blind

from curable cataract.(1)

-- The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness

(IAPB) was established in 1975 as a coordinating, umbrella

organisation to lead an international effort in mobilizing

resources for blindness prevention activities. Its first major

achievement was to promote the establishment of a World Health

Organization (WHO) programme for Prevention of Blindness, with

which it has remained strongly linked. More information can be

found at www.v2020.org and www.iapb.org.

For further information please contact:
VISION 2020: The Right to Sight
Jo Humphries, Communications Officer
Tel: + 44 207 927 2974 / E-mail: [e-mail]

(1) Frick and Foster, American Journal of Ophthalmology135 471 2003

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        Bausch & Lomb Launches Visionaries Recognition Program
                To Honor Leading Eye Care Professionals

-- Recipients to Designate $150,000 in Donations to

Vision-Related Charities

-- Peer Nominations Accepted at www.perfectingvision.com

-- Program Commemorates Company's 150th Anniversary

NOVEMBER 3, 2002, NEW YORK - At the start of a yearlong celebration of its 150th anniversary, Bausch & Lomb today announced the launch of the Visionaries Recognition Program to honor the contributions of U.S. eye care professionals who embody the highest ideals in vision care and who personify the Company's commitment to "Perfecting Vision. Enhancing Life(TM)."

"As we celebrate this significant milestone in our Company's history, we will recognize those outstanding optometrists and ophthalmologists who are leaders in the field and who serve as inspiring examples to their peers, their patients and their industry partners," said Paul Howes, Bausch & Lomb senior vice president and president of the Americas Region.

Nominated by their peers and reviewed by an independent Visionaries Selection Committee, five honorees will be selected in 2004 as Visionaries, and will equally share a $150,000 donation to the vision-related charities of their choice.

The Visionaries Recognition Program will honor leading eye care professionals who exemplify the ideals that are critical to the field of eye health including superior patient care; professionalism; leadership; volunteerism; philanthropy; and scholarship. Nominations will be reviewed on several criteria including:

-- A commitment to perfecting vision through research and

service;

-- Providing life-enhancing value to patients;

-- Inspiring peers;

-- Representing the best of the eye health community;

-- Embodying a commitment to volunteerism and philanthropy.

The independent Visionaries Selection Committee, which will review nominations, is comprised of representatives from nationally recognized schools of optometry and ophthalmology; the American Academy of Ophthalmology; American Academy of Optometry; American Optometric Association; American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery; and Southern Council of Optometry. The complete list of members and their biographical information is below.

Visionaries Recognition Program Details

The Visionaries Recognition Program embodies the spirit of Bausch & Lomb's commitment to "Perfecting Vision. Enhancing Life." by celebrating eye care professionals who exhibit the highest ideals in vision care.

-- Who can be Nominated: Any practicing, U.S. licensed

optometrist or ophthalmologist is eligible to be nominated as

a Visionary.

-- How to Nominate: Eye care professionals may nominate their

peers online at www.perfectingvision.com

-- Deadline for Nominations: Nominations for the Visionaries

Recognition Program must be received by February 29, 2004.

-- Visionaries Selection Announcement: Bausch & Lomb will

announce the five Visionaries by June 2004.

Eyecare Media Contacts
Tor Constantino
Bausch & Lomb
585.338.5212
[e-mail]

Jennie Kim
Weber Shandwick
212.445.8308
[e-mail]

Bausch & Lomb is the eye health company, dedicated to perfecting vision and enhancing life for consumers around the world. Its core businesses include soft and rigid gas permeable contact lenses and lens care products, and ophthalmic surgical and pharmaceutical products. The Bausch & Lomb name is one of the best known and most respected healthcare brands in the world. Celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2003, the Company is headquartered in Rochester, New York. Bausch & Lomb's 2002 revenues were $1.8 billion; it employs approximately 11,500 people worldwide and its products are available in more than 100 countries. More information about the Company can be found on the Bausch & Lomb Web site at www.bausch.com. Copyright Bausch & Lomb.

Bausch & Lomb Visionaries

Selection Committee Members

Stanley Chang, MD

Stanley Chang, MD, is Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, and Director of the Edward Harkness Eye Institute at New York Presbyterian Hospital. He is renown for clinical expertise in vitreoretinal surgery and for many innovations currently used by retinal surgeons worldwide. Dr. Chang received a medical degree from Columbia University and completed a residency at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. He completed a retina fellowship at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute before joining the faculty at Cornell University Medical College where he was appointed Professor in 1993. In addition to a Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from MIT, Dr. Chang holds a Master's degree in biomedical electronic engineering.

Victor J. Connors, OD

Victor J. Connors, OD, is President-Elect of the American Optometric Association. A native of Wonewoc, Wisconsin, and a graduate of Illinois College of Optometry, Dr. Connors has been in the private practice of optometry in Middleton, Wisconsin, since 1971. Active in community and optometric affairs, he has served as President of the Wisconsin Optometric Association and was Wisconsin Optometrist of the Year in 1990. He has been instrumental in working on behalf of optometrists to gain the privilege to prescribe medications for the treatment of eye diseases in Wisconsin and other states.

Larry J. Davis, OD

Larry J. Davis, OD, is Dean of the College of Optometry at the University of Missouri. An expert in innovative spectacle and contact lens designs, Dr. Davis seeks ways to enhance vision performance for patients following cornea surgery and those diagnosed with a corneal disease. He is a principal investigator at one of 14 clinical centers for the collaborative longitudinal evaluation of keratoconus (CLEK), which began enrolling subjects in June 1995. He also has an interest in immunology and microbiology, particularly as it relates to contact lens wear. Dr. Davis has been investigating the application of computer-assisted videokeratoscopy as it relates to innovative contact lens designs and ways that the cornea shape may be altered.

Steven Feldon, MD, MBA

Steven Feldon, MD, MBA, is Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Rochester and Director of the University of Rochester Eye Institute. An internationally acclaimed clinical and basic scientist with a specialty in orbital disease and neuro-ophthalmology, Dr. Feldon has a special interest in the management of patients with thyroid-associated eye disease. Before his Rochester appointment, Dr. Feldon was associate chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Southern California and vice president of the Doheny Eye Institute in Los Angeles. Dr. Feldon earned an MD from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He completed his residency at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard University, along with a research fellowship in neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and a clinical fellowship in neuro-ophthalmology at the University of California Medical Center, San Francisco.

Kevin C. Greenidge, MD, MPH

Kevin C. Greenidge, MD, MPH, is an at-large member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Board of Trustees. He served on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Academy's Glaucoma 2001 and on the skills-transfer course advisory committee. In 1977, he received both a medical degree from State University of New York at Buffalo, and a Master's in Public Health from Harvard University. He completed residency training at Emory University, where he served as chief resident and a glaucoma fellowship at Wills Eye Hospital. Dr. Greenidge maintains active private ophthalmology practices at Long Island College Hospital and University Hospital of Brooklyn, and is the current professor and chairman of the department of ophthalmology at the SUNY Health Science Center in Brooklyn.

Alden N. Haffner, OD, PhD, MPA

Alden N. Haffner, OD, PhD, has been President of the SUNY State College of Optometry since 1988. He was Vice Chancellor for Research, Graduate Studies and Professional Programs in the SUNY Central Administration from 1978-1988. Prior to that, he was the first and founding President of the SUNY State College of Optometry. Dr. Haffner holds an AB degree from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, an OD from Pennsylvania College of Optometry, and MPA and PhD degrees from New York University.

Barrett G. Haik, MD, FACS

Barrett G. Haik, MD, FACS, is Chairman and Hamilton Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Director of the Ophthalmology Service at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, both in Memphis. He is an internationally recognized expert in the diagnosis and management of ophthalmic tumors. Dr. Haik received a medical degree and a MS degree in Anatomy from Louisiana State University in New Orleans. He served an internship at the Charity Hospital of Louisiana and a residency at the Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute of the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. Prior to his appointment as chair at UT Memphis, he was Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at The New York Presbyterian Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in New York, and subsequently, the George M. Haik, MD/St. Giles Professor of Adult and Pediatric Ophthalmic Oncology at Tulane University Medical Center in New Orleans.

Stephen S. Lane, MD

Stephen S. Lane, MD, is President of the America Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and in private practice with Associated Eye Care in Stillwater, Minnesota. He received an MD from the University of Minnesota and completed an ophthalmology residency at Pennsylvania State University. He spent a fellowship year training in corneal and external disease, and refractive surgery at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Lane is one of the original clinical investigators for the excimer laser and has performed refractive laser surgery for more than 15 years. In addition to his private practice, Dr. Lane is a clinical professor of Ophthalmology in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Minnesota.

Thomas L. Lewis, OD, PhD

Thomas L. Lewis, OD, PhD, is president of the American Academy of Optometry and has been president of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) since 1989. Prior to 1989, he held several positions at PCO including dean of Academic Affairs, chief of the professional staff at the Eye Institute, the College's clinical training facility, and chairman of the Department of Basic Sciences. With more than 30 years of teaching experience, he currently holds the rank of Professor of Anatomy at PCO and twice has been selected by his students as Educator of the Year. Dr. Lewis received his BS and OD degrees from PCO and earned a PhD in anatomy from the Daniel Baugh Institute of Anatomy at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Lewis also serves as president of the Partnership Foundation for Optometric Education and is past president of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry and the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry.

Peter J. McDonnell, MD

Peter J. McDonnell, MD, is the William Holland Wilmer Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of the Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He has served as Director of the Wilmer Eye Institute since July 1, 2003, having previously served four years as the Irving H. Leopold Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of California-Irvine. He received a BS degree from Dartmouth College and a MD degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he completed an internship in pathology and emergency medicine and a residency in ophthalmology. He conducted a fellowship in cornea and external disease at the University of Southern California's Doheny Eye Institute before returning to Wilmer to serve as Chief Resident.

Earl L. Smith III, OD, PhD

Earl L. Smith III, OD, PhD, is dean and Greeman-Petty Professor in the Vision Development at the University of Houston College of Optometry. Dr. Smith was Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research in the college and has been a member of the UH faculty since 1978. Dr. Smith received his bachelor and master degrees, PhD, and OD degrees from the University of Houston. He was project director for the Core Center for Vision Research at UH, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health and consists of 23 faculty investigators engaged in various areas of research. Dr. Smith is the recipient of several teaching awards, the Glenn Fry Research Award from the American Academy of Optometry, and is a two-time co-recipient of the Internal Glaucoma Review Award. He is past president of the American Optometric Foundation.

William W. Spearman, OD

William W. Spearman, OD, is President of SECO International. He is actively involved in the American Optometric Association and serves as Chairman of the AOA Aviation Vision Committee. He is a Past President of the South Carolina Optometric Association and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. Dr. Spearman serves as clinical investigator for numerous contact lens and contact lens solutions studies and is a low-vision consultant to the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. He received an undergraduate degree from Clemson University and a Doctor of Optometry degree form Southern College of Optometry. Dr Spearman is in private practice in Pickens, South Carolina.

Eyecare Media Contacts
Tor Constantino
Bausch & Lomb
585.338.5212
[e-mail]

Jennie Kim
Weber Shandwick
212.445.8308
[e-mail]