Baxter Travenol Laboratories Sells Irvine Optics Division to Allergan

Baxter Travenol Laboratories Inc. said it has sold its Irvine-based American Medical Optics unit to Allergan Pharmaceuticals Inc., also of Irvine. Terms of the sale, which took effect on Thursday, were not disclosed. American Medical Optics, which manufactures eye-care products, was “basically a sideline for the company,” said a spokesman for Baxter, which is headquartered in Deerfield, Ill. With plants in Irvine and Puerto Rico, American Medical Optics employs about 650 people, the spokesman said.