Allergan to Acquire Lens-Making Firm

Allergan Inc. said Monday that it plans to acquire Ioptex Research Inc., an Irwindale company that makes artificial lenses, for $16 million cash.

Ioptex, a unit of British health care equipment maker Smith & Nephew PLC, makes an intra-ocular lens that replaces the eye’s natural lens in cataract surgery. The acquisition is part of Irvine-based Allergan’s push to increase its eye-care business.

Ioptex posted sales of $39 million and a profit of $400,000 for 1993. The company has about 200 employees worldwide. An Allergan spokesman said a transition team is working to determine whether any Ioptex employees will be laid off after the merger.

He said that, although the company will be an operating unit of Allergan, its name will remain on its products.

The sale is subject to Federal Trade Commission approval.