Santa Ana-based Abbott Medical Optics has changed its name to Johnson & Johnson Vision following its $4.3 billion acquisition by the manufacturing titan.
The deal was first announced in September. The company will have headquarters in Santa Ana and Jacksonville, Fla. Its surgical business will be based in Santa Ana and will continue to be led by president Tom Frinzi.
A company representative said there would be a “few staff reductions.”
Abbott Medical Optics, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Abbott Laboratories, started in the 1970s as American Medical Optics. It was purchased by Allergan Inc, then spun off before being purchased by Abbott in 2009.
In 2015 the company received FDA approval for the iDesign Advanced WaveScan Studio System. The system creates a 3-D map of the eye to adapt Lasik treatment plans to each individual.
The same technology is being used to measure and shape the mirrors of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.
The iDesign can identify imperfections in the telescope and perfect them.
Abbott has also collaborated with the U.S. Department of Defense to adapt its portable blood analysis tool, the i-STAT system, to evaluate concussions in the military.
The company also partnered with the National Space Biomedical Research Institute to identify devices to monitor astronauts’ vision in outer space.
In July, the company received approval for its TECNIS Symfony intraocular lenses that provide for quality vision after cataract surgery. It was developed by OptiMedica, which was acquired by Abbott Medical Optics in 2013 in a deal worth an estimated $400 million.
Johnson & Johnson Vision will add ophthalmic products in three areas: cataract surgery, laser refractive surgery (LASIK) and consumer eye health. These products will join J&J’s Acuvue contact lens business.
“J&J Vision is poised to become a world leader in eye health,” Ashley McEvoy, company group chairman of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Medical Devices, said in a statement. “By bringing on board surgical solutions that are supported by the resources and global reach of Johnson & Johnson, we can improve and restore sight for more patients across the globe.”
Abbott Medical’s Santa Ana building was bought by Drawbridge Realty for $37 million last year from Del Mar Partnership.
Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com or Twitter: @HannahMadans
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