Alcon Laboratories, already one of the largest employers and taxpayers in Tarrant County, is exploring a major expansion of its Fort Worth campus., which started in Fort Worth and has grown to become the world’s largest eye care device company, is looking to invest an estimated $100 million to build a 250,000-square-foot manufacturing facility next to its campus at 6201 South Freeway, off Interstate 35W about eight miles south of downtown.
The 135-acre site is immediately east of Alcon Laboratories’ existing campus, along East Altamesa Boulevard. Alcon already owns the vacant land extending to Campus Drive. The possible expansion could significantly increase tax revenue. It’s not clear how many new jobs could be created. Preliminary sketches for the site show space for about 640 parking spots, as well as a new gated employee entrance off Altamesa Boulevard and possibly another future warehouse.
In 1953, Alcon introduced plastic packaging for ophthalmic solutions, including a “droptainer” that eliminated the eyedropper and allowed medication to flow directly from the container into the eye. Eventually, Alcon provided instruments to perform cataract and other types of surgery, eye drapes for surgery, a line of glaucoma products, irrigating solutions and contact lens products.