Prevent Blindness Texas Names Dr. Gerald D. Cagle the 2008 People of Vision Award...

Prevent Blindness Texas Names Dr. Gerald D. Cagle the 2008 People of Vision Award Winner

FORT WORTH, Texas--(Business Wire)--
Prevent Blindness Texas - Fort Worth Branch, an affiliate of
Prevent Blindness America, the nation's leading volunteer eye health
and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving
sight, has chosen Gerald D. Cagle, Ph.D. as the recipient of the 2008
People of Vision Award. Dr. Cagle, senior vice president of Research
and Development and chief scientific officer of Alcon Laboratories,
Inc., a subsidiary of Alcon, Inc., the world's largest eye care
company, will accept his award at the Prevent Blindness People of
Vision Dinner at Ridglea Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas on April 3,
2008. Dr. Cagle will receive an additional honor from the Tarrant
County Commissioners Court who will be presenting him with a
resolution on Tuesday, April 1st, paying tribute to his career and
contributions in the field of Ophthalmology.

Since 1978, the People of Vision Award has been presented annually
to an individual or individuals who possess qualities of dedication,
leadership and community vision. Dr. Cagle was selected based on his
more than 32 years of commitment to advancing technologies and
therapies in the field of Ophthalmology. Additionally, Jerry is
actively involved with local organizations in the Fort Worth area
including the All Church Home, TECH Fort Worth and the Health Industry
Council of Dallas Fort Worth.

In 1976, Dr. Cagle joined Alcon as a senior scientist in
Microbiology. After years of increasing responsibility, Dr. Cagle was
appointed head of Alcon's global ophthalmic Research & Development
(R&D) organization, a position he has held for the past eleven years.
Under Dr. Cagle's direction, Alcon developed industry-leading
therapies and devices including Pataday(R) for ocular allergies,
Vigamox(R) for bacterial conjunctivitis, Travatan Z(R) to treat the
increased intraocular pressure associated with glaucoma, the
AcrySof(R) line of intraocular lenses, the Infiniti(R) platform for
cataract surgery, the Accurus(R) surgical system for vitreoretinal
surgery and the OPTI-Free(R) line of multi-purpose disinfecting
solutions.

"We are pleased to honor Dr. Cagle and to celebrate Alcon's many
scientific advancements made under his leadership," said Kathi Fowler,
executive director of Prevent Blindness Texas - Fort Worth Branch.
"His passion for discovering therapies and technologies that preserve,
restore and enhance sight aligns with the mission of Prevent Blindness
organizations at the national and local levels."

A native Texan, Dr. Cagle received his Bachelor of Science degree
in 1966 from Wayland College in Plainview, Texas. He earned both a
Master of Science and a Ph.D. from the University of North Texas in
Denton, Texas and attended the Harvard Business School Program for
Management Development. Dr. Cagle is the author of numerous
peer-reviewed journal articles, has made contributions to various
texts and holds several product-related patents, including
TobraDex(R), Vigamox(R) and Patanase(R). Dr. Cagle is a member of the
American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society for
Microbiology. He serves on the Wilmer Eye Institute Advisory Council,
acts as a delegate to the Association of International Glaucoma
Society, is a Board Member of the ARVO Foundation for Eye Research, is
a member of TECH Ft. Worth and the State of Texas Governor's Committee
for Emerging Technology and serves as secretary of both the Alcon
Research Institute and the Alcon Scientific Advisory Board.

"I have great respect for the Prevent Blindness organization and
value its vision care programs and initiatives," said Dr. Cagle. "It
is a privilege to receive the People of Vision award and it recognizes
in many ways the collective efforts of the 1,130 or so of my R&D
colleagues, both here and at other Alcon research facilities. I really
appreciate the support they've given to me over the past 30 years."

About Prevent Blindness Texas

Prevent Blindness Texas is an affiliate of Prevent Blindness
America and was established as a non-profit, voluntary health agency
in 1956 and incorporated in 1965. For fifty years, Prevent Blindness
Texas has been directly responsible for saving the sight and enhancing
the visual quality of life for thousands of men, women and children in
the State of Texas.

Prevent Blindness Texas Fort Worth Branch was established in 1960
to provide free vision screenings for the community. The Fort Worth
Branch continues to support the free sight saving programs of Prevent
Blindness Texas.

About Prevent Blindness America

Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness America is the nation's leading
volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting
blindness and saving sight. Focused on promoting a continuum of vision
care, Prevent Blindness America touches the lives of millions of
people each year through public and professional education, advocacy,
certified vision screening and training, community and patient service
programs and research. These services are made possible through the
generous support of the American public. Together with a network of
affiliates, divisions and chapters, it's committed to eliminating
preventable blindness in America. For more information, or to make a
contribution to the sight-saving fund, call 1-800-331-2020.

Prevent Blindness Texas
Kathi Fowler, 817-312-8919

Copyright Business Wire 2008