Cooper Continues to Have Prolems With the Launch of Its Silicone Hydrogel Lenses

Implications: Cooper continues to lag behind the competition in the silicone hydrogel market.  They still haven't had a large scale launch of its Biofinity lens and there's no date set.

Cooper's lenses have been a staple in my office since I started practicing, but as I transition my patients in the healthier silicone hydrogel lens, less and less of my patients are wearing their lenses.

They better get it together quickly.  Their reputation is on the line.

Analysis: I still have yet to see a fitting set in my office.  I've read Cooper has been having money issues and manufacturing problems with their new silicone hydrogel lens.  Share prices are dropping, and their rating is decreasing in the stock market.  I also read that there were rumors of a buy-out.  I haven't heard who was supposed to buy them out, but apparently, with recent events, a buy-out is unlikely now.

It is unfortunate that such a great company is going through these hard times.  They missed the boat on getting into the silicone hydrogel market early, and I thought if they were able to put out a great lens of their own, sooner, rather than later, that they would recapture a good part of that market.  But the longer they have problems getting the lens out there, the more catching up they'll have to do.

So how much confidence do I have in Cooper to fully launch their silicone hydrogel lens soon?  Not a lot.  In the long term though, I think they'll eventually rebound and take back some of that market.  They have developed a lot of great lenses over the years that have helped earn them their great reputation, and I will continue to use these lenses.  However, until they fix this mess with the Biofinity launch, their reputation will slowly tarnish.  I really hope that that won't take very long.