One of the oldest continually operating companies in the US today, Bausch + Lomb traces its roots to 1853, when John Jacob Bausch, a German immigrant, set up a tiny optical goods shop in Rochester, New York. When he needed more money to keep the business going, Bausch borrowed $60 from his good friend, Henry Lomb. Bausch promised that if the business grew, Lomb would be made a full partner. The business did grow and the partnership was formed.

In the early years, Bausch + Lomb manufactured revolutionary rubber eyeglass frames as well as a variety of optical products that required a high degree of manufacturing precision. By 1903, the firm had been issued patents for microscopes, binoculars, and even a camera shutter based on the eye’s reaction to light...