Bausch & Lomb (The Legacy)

From a dusty shop in Rochester to the world’s most iconic shades.

1853

John Jacob Bausch opens a tiny optical shop in Rochester, New York.
1861

Henry Lomb becomes co-founder after lending Bausch $60 to expand.
1876

Bausch & Lomb exhibits at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition.
1936

The Aviator prototype is developed for U.S. Army pilots.
1937

Ray-Ban brand officially launches.
1999

Bausch & Lomb sells Ray-Ban to Luxottica for $640 million.

Glass, Grit, and the American Dream (1853–1900)

In the dusty industrial heart of Rochester, New York, 1853, a German immigrant named John Jacob Bausch opened a small optical goods shop. A few years later, when he needed funds to expand, he borrowed $60 from his close friend Henry Lomb — with a gentleman’s agreement that if the shop took off, Lomb would become his partner.

It did. And he did.

Thus began Bausch & Lomb, a name that would eventually grace everything from microscopes to movie cameras, binoculars to the most iconic sunglasses in history.

At the time, America relied heavily on imported optical lenses. But Bausch had a vision — quite literally — to craft precision lenses domestically. Their first big breakthrough? Vulcanite rubber eyeglass frames: durable, lightweight, and cheaper than traditional metal frames. These were revolutionary for the growing middle class and gave the fledgling company a competitive edge.

By the late 19th century, Bausch & Lomb were supplying optics for microscopes and telescopes, partnering with Carl Zeiss in Germany for lens innovation. This gave them a foothold not just in commercial optics but in the more scientific and military arenas that would define their trajectory.

War, Innovation, and a Name That Meant Quality (1900–1945)

The 20th century came roaring in, and Bausch & Lomb kept pace. They developed camera lenses, projectors, and optical measuring devices. But their big moment came with World War I, when the U.S. found itself cut off from European suppliers. The military needed optical gear — and B&L delivered.

This was the beginning of Bausch & Lomb’s status as a trusted government contractor.

They manufactured:

Rangefinders
Binoculars
Gunsights
Periscopes

When World War II hit, Bausch & Lomb doubled down. Their war-time output was massive and included the now-iconic Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses, originally developed in 1936 for U.S. Army Air Corps pilots suffering from glare and altitude-induced nausea.

Ray-Ban wasn’t a fashion brand yet — it was a military tool. But that functional cool factor would later become the stuff of pop-culture legend.

Postwar Boom and Ray-Ban Stardom (1945–1970s)

With the war over and American industry flexing its muscles, Bausch & Lomb entered its golden age. The company expanded into medical devices, contact lenses, and cinema lenses. They made the famed Cinemascope lenses that helped define Hollywood’s widescreen era.

Meanwhile, Ray-Ban was evolving from pilot gear to cultural artifact.

1952: The Wayfarer is launched — bold, rebellious, and plastic at a time when wire-rims ruled. James Dean and Audrey Hepburn helped immortalize the style.
1960s: The Balorama and Olympian styles became go-to eyewear for counterculture icons and movie stars.

Throughout these years, Bausch & Lomb was seen as a pillar of American industrial craftsmanship — not just in eyewear, but in optics, science, and healthcare. They had gone public in 1937, and by the 1960s were a blue-chip stock with a global footprint.

The Trouble with Giants (1980s -1990s)

Success, though, breeds complexity. By the 1980s, Bausch & Lomb had grown bloated — a sprawling conglomerate with divisions in pharmaceuticals, surgical tools, and consumer products. Ray-Ban was still strong, but the brand was losing steam. The market had shifted; fashion eyewear was moving to Europe, and nimble Italian designers were catching fire.

Meanwhile, B&L’s business decisions started misfiring. They overextended into new markets and mismanaged existing ones. Critics said the company was too diversified, too bureaucratic. There were issues with contact lens solutions, accounting controversies, and a general sense of a ship drifting.

Ray-Ban, too, was becoming stale. The styles were classic, yes — but the brand wasn’t keeping up with the cultural moment. Sales slumped. The once-revered Wayfarers were languishing on drugstore racks.

The Sale Heard Round the World (1999)

In 1999, Bausch & Lomb made a move that would forever reshape the eyewear landscape: they sold Ray-Ban to Luxottica for a reported $640 million.

At the time, it felt like a white-flag moment. Luxottica — the vertically integrated Italian giant — promised to do what B&L no longer could: reinvigorate Ray-Ban as a global fashion juggernaut.

And they did.

Bausch & Lomb, meanwhile, narrowed its focus. The sale was part of a strategy to re-center around eye health and medical products, particularly:

Contact lenses (SofLens, PureVision)
Surgical tools (intraocular lenses, cataract systems)
Prescription lens care

They doubled down on being a medical tech company, leaving the fashion world behind.

Reinvention Without Ray-Ban (2000s–2010s)

Post-Ray-Ban, Bausch & Lomb went all in on its medical and optical technology roots. The company pushed innovation in contact lenses — including extended wear and silicone hydrogel technologies. It made acquisitions in surgical and lens care sectors, aiming to become a complete vision health provider.

But competition was fierce. Johnson & Johnson, Alcon, and others were heavily investing in eye care. Bausch & Lomb had solid products, but profitability was lagging. By the mid-2000s, the company was again looking for strategic alternatives.

In 2007, private equity firm Warburg Pincus bought B&L for $4.5 billion and took it private. The goal? Streamline, refocus, and prepare for a sale or IPO.

The Valeant Era and Bausch Health Rebirth (2013–2020)

In 2013, controversial Canadian pharma company Valeant acquired Bausch & Lomb for $8.7 billion — one of the largest healthcare deals of the decade.

Valeant was known for:

Acquiring legacy pharma brands
Aggressively slashing R&D and staff
Dramatically hiking drug prices

Critics feared B&L would be gutted, but it was actually one of Valeant’s better-managed assets. B&L continued to operate fairly independently, delivering consistent revenue even as Valeant’s broader empire began to unravel under debt and legal scrutiny.

By 2018, Valeant — battered by lawsuits and public pressure — rebranded itself as Bausch Health Companies, effectively elevating the Bausch & Lomb name once again.

Return to the Public Eye (2020s and Beyond)

In 2022, Bausch & Lomb was spun out as an independent publicly traded company once again. It now focuses on:

Vision care (contact lenses, solutions)
Ophthalmic pharmaceuticals
Surgical technologies

Though no longer in the style spotlight like its Ray-Ban heyday, Bausch & Lomb has returned to its roots — a science-led company dedicated to eye health.

Bausch & Lomb's story is a quintessential American epic: built by immigrants, powered by innovation, tested by war, bloated by corporate ambition, and ultimately reborn.

It gave the world one of the most enduring fashion icons of the 20th century in Ray-Ban. It helped America fight two world wars. And today, it helps millions see clearly — quite literally.

Even without Ray-Ban, the company remains a titan of vision.

Marketing & Advertising

Long before influencer campaigns and Google Ads, Bausch & Lomb were pioneering brand-building — from sponsoring science fairs to dominating department store displays with Ray-Ban.