FOR RELEASE 8/23/2010, Monday

Bausch + Lomb Introduces the Stellaris® PC Vision Enhancement System for Retinal Surgery

 The Stellaris System Gives Surgeons More Choices For Patient Care

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. -- Bausch + Lomb, the global eye health company, today announced that its new, state-of-the-art, combined vitrectomy and phacoemulsification system, the Stellaris® PC (Procedural Choice) Vision Enhancement System, is now available to retinal surgeons in the United States. The Stellaris was previously introduced to cataract surgeons in 2007.

The new Stellaris PC platform provides a high-performance, feature-rich, combined experience that leverages Bausch + Lomb’s legacy of vitreoretinal surgical innovation with the demonstrated excellence of the Stellaris phacoemulsification platform. The Stellaris PC allows surgeons to have true “procedural choice” by providing the most advanced technology for both vitreoretinal and cataract surgery in a single system.

The Stellaris PC offers the following benefits to surgeons and their patients:

• It is the only vitreoretinal surgical system that comes with a dual light source and surgeon-selected color filters that allow for differentiated viewing designed to enhance the surgeon’s ability to see ocular tissue better under various surgical conditions.
  
  

• It allows surgeons a platform for the smallest incisions for both retinal and cataract surgeries. It is capable of 1.8 mm MICS™ phacoemulsification as well as a complement with Bausch + Lomb's existing proprietary 25-gauge system of instruments for retinal surgery, along with standard 23- and 20-gauge instruments.
  
  

• It has light-weight, ultrahigh-speed vitrectomy probes for conventional and transconjunctival vitrectomy (TSV).

Dr. Carl Awh, a long-time advisor to Bausch + Lomb and a private-practice physician with Tennessee Retina in Nashville, said, “The Stellaris PC meets the needs of today’s vitreoretinal and cataract surgeons. It allows us to perform the most advanced techniques with an intuitive, more compact system and is ideally equipped for both the ambulatory surgery center and the hospital operating room.” 

The Stellaris PC has a small footprint and a wireless footpedal with dual linear control for the operating room for ease of use and maximum flexibility for surgeon and staff. These features help create faster set-up times and less operating room congestion.

Russ Finlay, global marketing director, Vitreoretinal Business, Bausch + Lomb, noted, “The Stellaris PC is ideally suited for surgeons in the hospital and ASCs by giving them a product that is both advanced and intuitive. Today's surgeons want to be confident that the technology they use will lead to improved patient care and clinical efficiency. By listening to what surgeons want, we have developed a product that makes sense for today's operating room and the doctors and patients that depend on them."

The Stellaris PC replaces the Millennium® Microsurgical System.

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About Bausch + Lomb
Bausch + Lomb is dedicated to bringing visionary ideas to eye health. Its core businesses include contact lenses and lens care products, ophthalmic surgical devices and instruments, and ophthalmic pharmaceuticals. The Bausch + Lomb name is one of the best-known and most respected healthcare brands in the world. Founded in 1853, the company is headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., and employs more than 10,000 people worldwide. Its products are available in more than 100 countries. More information is available at www.bausch.com.

®/™ denote trademarks of Bausch & Lomb Incorporated.