WASHINGTON, D.C., March 17, 2026 — U.S. antitrust regulators have halted a proposed merger between two leading makers of cataract surgery laser systems after the companies abandoned the deal amid competition concerns.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said Alcon dropped its plan to acquire LENSAR following an investigation that found the transaction could harm competition in the market for femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) devices.
According to the FTC, the merger would have combined the two most significant players in the FLACS laser systems market, eliminating a key competitive rivalry that had driven both lower prices and innovation.
“The merging firms threw up a white flag rather than risk facing the FTC in court,” said Daniel Guarnera, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, adding that the agency had identified substantial evidence of potential consumer harm.
Regulators highlighted that Alcon and LENSAR had been engaged in a price war that benefited surgeons and patients by making advanced cataract procedures more affordable. The competition had also encouraged technological improvements in laser-assisted surgery systems.
The FTC warned that allowing one competitor to acquire another in such a concentrated market would likely reduce incentives to innovate and lead to higher prices for medical providers, with downstream effects on millions of patients undergoing cataract procedures.
The investigation was led by the FTC’s American Competition Enforcement division, with support from the Bureau of Economics and cooperation from the Florida Attorney General’s Office.
The agency said blocking the deal would help preserve competition in the sector, support continued innovation, and protect U.S. manufacturing jobs.
The decision underscores ongoing scrutiny by U.S. regulators of mergers in healthcare technology markets, where consolidation can have direct implications for costs, innovation and patient outcomes.
