Bausch and Lomb Incorporated, one of the oldest American companies still operating, was established by John Bausch in 1853 when he opened an optical shop in Rochester, New York that sold eyeglasses, magnifiers, microscopes, and other products imported from Europe.

Not long after the shop was opened, Bausch needed to borrow sixty dollars from his close friend Henry Lomb and promised him that, if the business grew to a size where he would need a partner, Lomb would be that partner. The business did grow and Bausch & Lomb was formed.

Early on in the company's history, John Bausch discovered that Vulcanite Rubber could be used to manufacture eye glass frames. These unique frames were cheaper and more durable than other frames available on the market, and they sold well.

With the success of the eyeglass business, Bausch and Lomb moved into a variety of optical products that required a high level of precision manufacturing, and more than one hundred years later Bausch & Lomb have become one of the world's leaders in the marketing and manufacturing of eye health products. Its core businesses include soft and rigid gas permeable contact lenses and lens care products, and ophthalmic surgical and pharmaceutical products.

Bausch and Lomb offer a wide range of contact lenses, from two week disposable lenses such as the SofLens 38, SofLens 59 and SofLens 66 to daily disposable lenses such as the SofLens One Day. For patients needing bifocal lenses they offer the SofLens Multi-Focal, and for patients with astigmatism they have the Optima Toric and SofLens 66 Toric. Monthly disposable contacts like Optima 38 and PureVision lenses are also available.

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