ALCON RESEARCH, LTD.

Nestled among tall trees, old homes, quiet schools and small churches, Alcon's Precision Device facility (APD) employs more than 600 people manufacturing quality ophthalmic medical devices and instruments. Acquired by Alcon in 1988, APD maintains a low profile, preferring to focus on its products and people rather than outside attention.

Our production processes at APD range from fully automated to completely manual, depending upon the detail and precision requirements of each product. All products produced in our plant are extremely small and require a surprising amount of skill and precision to piece together, by hand or machine, hence the plant's name: Alcon Precision Device facility.

We challenge ourselves to meet Alcon's mission every day to enhance, preserve and restore vision worldwide. Alcon employees, around the globe, go a step beyond that mission and dedicate themselves to making Alcon the most respected and trusted eye care company in the world. We know we are earning our position as the first choice in eye care products every day through hard work and dedication we never take that for granted. Every day, we challenge ourselves with Alcon's mission – to help people worldwide see better. As the leader in eye care, this mission means that we strive to make significant contributions in the fight to prevent and, one day, eliminate blindness. To that end, we are dedicated to providing the highest quality eye care products for treating various eye diseases and eye conditions.

Our financial commitment to research and development surpasses all others in the eye care industry. Annually we invest up to 17 percent of our pharmaceutical revenue and nearly 10 percent of our overall revenue back into research efforts totaling US$3 billion over the last five years. This investment will grow to at least US$3 billion over the next five years. To put this in perspective, we invest more in research and development than any other eye care company worldwide. Our R&D organization is driven by nearly 1800 dedicated researchers, scientists, engineers and support staff located in five state-of-the-art facilities in the United States and Europe.