Multinational eyecare products manufacturer Bausch & Lomb is planning an expansion that could lead to an increase in its 1,700-strong Irish workforce.

The US company, which has a production facility in Waterford, recently applied for planning permission to extend its plant.

It is understood that the company is also in preliminary stages of talks with industrial development agency IDA Ireland about expanding its workforce. The IDA declined to comment yesterday.

The company already employs 1,700 people in Waterford, making it one of the largest employers in the region. Bausch & Lomb is best-known for its Ray Ban designer sunglasses range.

It also produces contact lenses, eye drops for various conditions, drugs for treating diseases that cause blindness, and equipment for laser surgery that cures short sightedness and cataract removal.

Three years ago, it received IDA support for a research and development project at Waterford.

The company pledged to invest €6.3 million and create 30 new jobs on developing a new drug delivery system for treating diseases that cause blindness.

In the second quarter of the year, Bausch & Lomb had a 7 per cent increase in sales to $608.3 million (€493 million). Earnings per share also grew by 7 per cent to $0.81 a-share.

The group employs 12,000 people in 35 centres around the world and its products are sold in around 100 countries.