186 new jobs have been announced for Cork by eye care company Alcon.
The company has announced a further investment of more than €21m at its plant at the IDA Business & Technology Park on Model Farm Road.
Alcon began its operations in Cork in 2000.
It is the world's largest manufacturer of products for eye care, from lasers to contact lenses and employs more than 13,500 people worldwide.
In Cork it makes the intraocular lens - small, complex lenses used to replace the eye's own lens following cataract surgery.
Its lenses are used in six out of every 10 operations, with demand growing at a rate of 7% annually.
This year the company will produce 1.5m units and following today's announcement the plan is to up the production to 7m.
The announcement came as Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin officially opened a recent €15m investment in the Model Farm Road plant.
The medical device sector currently employs up to 25,000 people here.
