Case Study: Bausch & Lomb achieves 60% faster development and improved contact lens comfort with SOLIDWORKS

Visualizing the Path to Innovation in Contact Lens Design with SOLIDWORKS Software

Bausch & Lomb, a long-established leader in optics and eye health, needed to replace disparate 2D and 3D CAD tools with a single platform that could handle mathematically precise surfacing, visualize lens curvature and thickness, and automate hundreds of SKU variations while controlling costs. To address this, the company standardized on SolidWorks, deploying SOLIDWORKS Premium (30 licenses) for its surfacing, analysis, simulation, design configuration, and PDM capabilities.

Using the SOLIDWORKS 3D design platform from SolidWorks, Bausch & Lomb applied advanced visualization, Thickness Analysis, and design-table configurations to precisely model lens geometries, automate tooling and SKU variants, and simulate fit and comfort. The SolidWorks solution delivered measurable impact—development time dropped by up to 60%, prototypes were reduced by about 50%, lens comfort and orientation improved, and optics/tooling precision increased, enabling faster innovation and lower costs.

Bausch & Lomb

Robert Stupplebeen

Biomechanical Engineer