Johnson & Johnson Invests $1 Billion to Expand U.S. Contact Lens Manufacturing Amid Intensifying Global Capacity Race
Johnson & Johnson
Medical Device R&D and Manufacturer
June 15, 2026Johnson & JohnsonAnnouncementInvestment in the Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. facility of its vision care business (J&J Vision)Over $1 billion(approximately RMB 6.8 billion), used forNew Distribution Center, Upgraded Manufacturing and Packaging Capacity, with full production expected to commence in 2028; construction has already begun.
This funding is part of Johnson & Johnson’s $55 billion U.S. manufacturing investment plan through 2029. According to public information, this represents one of the largest known single commitments to expand domestic production capacity in the ophthalmic device sector.
# Financial Perspective Analysis
Understanding this $1 billion investment requires placing it inJohnson & Johnson Visionconsidered in the financial performance.
Contact Lenses and Other BusinessesRevenue reached $969 million, a year-over-year increase of 5.5% (2.7% operational growth), with U.S. market revenue at $468 million (+3.7%) and international market revenue at $501 million (+7.2%). Vision Surgery Business (including Intraocular Lenses/IOLs)Global revenue reached $396 million, a year-over-year increase of 9.7% (operational growth of 6.0%), driven by strong international growth (+15.6%); U.S. market revenue was $111 million, a year-over-year decrease of 2.9%.
Two Key Signals：
Contact Lens Business: Accounting for 71% of Vision’s revenue and maintaining growth, it serves as the cash flow foundation supporting large-scale capital expenditures.
Surgical Business Under Pressure：IOL business in the US market is experiencing a decline, possibly due to pressure from volume-based procurement and intensified competition. At this juncture, increasing IOL production capacity in Jacksonville could help offset price pressures through a new product cycle if the next-generation products achieve successful scale-up; conversely, capacity expansion may face the risk of underutilization.
# Production Lines and Manufacturing Base
Jacksonville is a key global manufacturing hub for Johnson & Johnson Vision. Since commencing operations in 1981, the facility has been in operation for over 40 years and currently employs approximately 3,500 people.Produces approximately 1.7 billion tablets annually for U.S. patientsAcuvue Series Contact Lenses, covering categories such as daily disposable spherical lenses, daily disposable toric lenses, bi-weekly disposables, and myopia control.
This announcement explicitly mentionsJacksonvilleSimultaneously producing "Next-Generation IOL Technology", which will be discussed in detail later.
Johnson & Johnson Vision’s Acuvue series of contact lens products are categorized by wearing schedule, material, and function. The main product information is as follows (compiled from public sources):
Daily Disposable Series
1-DAY ACUVUE MOIST: A basic daily disposable lens made of hydrogel material (Etafilcon A, 58% water content) with LACREON moisture technology.
Hengrun Oxygen (1-Day Acuvue TruEye): Silicone hydrogel daily disposable lenses featuring HYDRACLEAR moisture technology.
Acuvue Oasys 1-Day: Silicone hydrogel daily disposable lenses (Senofilcon A material), featuring HydraLuxe moisture technology.
ACUVUE® OASYS® MAX 1-Day: A daily disposable silicone hydrogel contact lens featuring OptiBlue™ blue light filtering technology and TearStable™ tear film stabilization technology. In 2025, a version simultaneously correcting presbyopia and astigmatism was launched.
Bi-Weekly Replacement Series
Acuvue Oasys (Bi-weekly Disposable): Made of silicone hydrogel material (Senofilcon A) with HYDRACLEAR Plus moisture-locking technology. This series includes variants for astigmatism correction and presbyopia correction.
Acuvue 2: Traditional hydrogel material (Etafilcon A, 58% water content), positioned as a basic bi-weekly disposable product. Currently, some versions are gradually phasing out of the market.
Monthly Disposable Series
Shuxi/Shuche (Acuvue Clear): Monthly replacement hydrogel lenses with a slightly thicker center thickness.
Vita Monthly Lenses: Silicone hydrogel monthly disposable lenses featuring HYDRAMAX moisture technology.
Colored Contact Lenses (Beauty Lenses) Series
1-Day Acuvue Define: Building on the comfort of Daily Acuvue, this lens incorporates pigment using a "sandwich" layering technology, ensuring the pigment layer does not come into direct contact with the ocular surface.
Bi-weekly colored contact lenses (Acuvue 2 Define / Acuvue 2 Colors): Pigment is added on the basis of Moisture or Oasys, using "sandwich" layered pigment technology.
Special Function Series
1-DAY ACUVUE MOIST for ASTIGMATISM: A daily disposable lens designed for astigmatism correction, featuring BLINK STABILIZED® four-zone stabilization design.
Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism: A biweekly silicone hydrogel lens designed for astigmatism correction, featuring ESD™ four-point stabilization technology.
ACUVUE OASYS for Presbyopia: A bi-weekly replacement lens for presbyopia correction, featuring pupil-optimized design.
TheraVision Daily Disposable: Drug-eluting daily disposable contact lenses that release ketotifen for adjunctive treatment of allergic conjunctivitis (Note: This product is a prescription drug-device combination product and must be used under physician supervision).
The above product information is compiled from publicly available sources. For specific indications, contraindications, and adverse reactions, please refer to the officially approved package inserts for each product.
# Competitive Landscape of the Sector
China's contact lens industry presents "International Giants Dominate, Local Brands Compete in Stratified Segmentsmarket landscape. The overall market concentration is relatively high, with international brands dominating the high-end segment by leveraging their advantages in technology, brand reputation, and distribution channels, while domestic brands engage in fierce competition within niche segments and at the channel level.
In the global market for soft contact lenses,Alcon, Johnson & Johnson, CooperVision, Bausch + LombFour multinational giants collectively account for approximately 80% of the global market share.Domestic Local BrandsIn recent years, the silicon hydrogel product line layout has been completed, and it is penetrating from the mid-to-low end upwards, but in myopiaIn the premium daily disposable segment, a technological gap remains compared to leading multinational brands.
The Four Major Giants in Europe and America
Alcon: The company’s net sales for the full year 2025 amounted to $10.3 billion, representing a 5% year-over-year increase. Among these, the Vision Care business maintained robust growth, with contact lens products continuing to drive performance gains fueled by the launch of new products such as PRECISION7 and optimization of the product portfolio.
Johnson & Johnson Vision: In 2025, the vision care business continued to grow, with contact lens products remaining the core source of revenue. Among these, the ACUVUE OASYS 1-Day series sustained its volume growth, driving an improvement in overall business performance. As Johnson & Johnson has not separately disclosed full-year Vision Care revenue in its public financial reports in recent years, relevant market statistics indicate that the scale of its vision care business is approximately USD 5.5 billion.
CooperVision: In fiscal year 2025, the contact lens business (CooperVision segment) generated revenue of $2.744 billion, a 5% year-over-year increase. Of this, revenue from toric and multifocal lenses amounted to $1.351 billion, up 7% year over year; revenue from spherical and other lenses totaled $1.393 billion, up 3% year over year. High-value-added products continued to be a key growth driver.
Bausch + Lomb: In 2025, the Vision Care business generated annual revenue of $2.923 billion, representing a 7% year-over-year increase (6% growth on a constant currency basis). Fourth-quarter Vision Care revenue amounted to $778 million, an 8% year-over-year increase, primarily driven by rising demand for contact lenses, LUMIFY eye drops, and over-the-counter dry eye products.
Listed Companies in Mainland China
Aier Medical: A multi-brand portfolio has been established in the vision care sector, with major brands including Lanbo, Okra, and TOPPOP. Lanbo is the core vision care brand, with a product line covering functional colored contact lenses, clear lenses, and care solutions; it has launched differentiated products such as silicone hydrogel daily disposables, early presbyopia soft contact lenses, and moisturizing clear lenses. Okra focuses on meeting the basic needs for clear contact lenses, while TOPPOP is positioned for instant retail and smart store exploration.
OpthoVision: In January 2026, Jiangsu Duozhi Medical Technology Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ophtec Vision, received the "Medical Device Registration Certificate of the People's Republic of China" (Registration Certificate No.: Guo Xie Zhu Zhun 20253162076) issued by the National Medical Products Administration. Duozhi Medical's "Soft Hydrophilic Contact Lens" product has completed registration and obtained the Class III medical device registration certificate.
# Next-Generation IOL Technology
# Eye Future Insights
Johnson & Johnson Vision’s $1 billion expansion of local production capacity represents a multifaceted strategic move driven by product cycle iterations, global policy dynamics, and industry competitive restructuring. For China’s ophthalmic device sector, this development intensifies external competitive pressure, narrowing the window for domestic alternatives to catch up technologically. Local enterprises must accelerate R&D in high-end technologies, address gaps in premium product offerings, and seize opportunities in niche segments, while leveraging cost-control efficiencies and localized service advantages to navigate shifts in the global industrial competitive landscape.
This article involves information on medical device products, intended solely for industry research reference, and does not constitute medical advice or product recommendations. Contact lenses are classified as Class III medical devices; please consult a professional ophthalmologist and carefully read the product instructions before use. This article involves corporate financial data and market analysis, and does not constitute investment advice.
News Source: Johnson & Johnson Official https://www.jnj.com/media-center/press-releases/johnson-johnson-invests-more-than-1-billion-to-strengthen-u-s-vision-manufacturing-in-jacksonville-florida
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