Bausch + Lomb Corporation (Bausch + Lomb Corp. (NYSE/TSX: BLCO)) has announced the launch of Orphia, a new artificial intelligence-driven digital health platform designed to help eye care providers reduce time spent managing disparate tools and technologies, allowing them to focus more on patient care.

Orphia will operate under the company's newly established Digital Health Services division. The platform is not tied to any specific brand and is available to all eye care providers, regardless of the products, devices, or treatment plans they use.

Initial Platform Focus

The platform's first application focuses on pre-cataract surgery patient education, helping patients understand their condition and treatment options, and identifying potential concerns before meeting with their surgeon. The goal is not only to answer questions but to ensure patients arrive well-prepared, making the doctor-patient dialogue more valuable and enabling the physician to concentrate on achieving the best visual outcome for each individual.

Partnership for Development

To develop conversational patient engagement features, Bausch + Lomb has partnered with Hippocratic AI, a leader in medical voice AI. Its proprietary large language model is built on data from over 200 million real patient interactions and has been validated by more than 7,500 licensed U.S. clinicians, with deployments across major U.S. health systems and institutions.

Executive Commentary

Bausch + Lomb Chairman and CEO Brent Saunders stated, "We have invested heavily in developing better products, molecules, and devices, and that work has advanced patient care. But one question remains insufficiently answered: How do we help doctors spend less time on the periphery of care and more time delivering it? Orphia is built to serve every eye care provider, no matter what they prescribe or use."

Platform Design and Future Plans

Orphia is designed to integrate with a clinic's existing systems, complementing current workflows and providing actionable insights for clinical teams. The company plans to gradually expand the platform's capabilities over time to cover the full patient journey from care coordination to clinic workflow, reducing operational burdens for both doctors and patients.

Expert Perspective

Dr. Vance Thompson, a world-leading expert in cataract and refractive surgery, noted that informed patients are more confident, engaged, and willing to make decisions about their vision. AI can handle routine tasks like pre-operative calls, allowing medical teams to focus their energy on empathy, trust, and human connection—the elements that remain at the heart of medicine.

Leadership Appointment

The Orphia platform will be led by Dr. Manisha Narasimhan, President of the Bausch + Lomb Digital Health Services unit. She brings nearly two decades of experience in biotechnology, strategic planning, corporate development, and digital transformation, having helped shape the company's AI and digital capabilities strategy over the past three years.