Founded in 1937 by Bausch & Lomb, one of the world's leading suppliers of eye health products, Ray-Ban earned its name as a top manufacturer of sunglasses by being introduced to the United States Air Force. The company was inspired by Lieutenant John MacCready permanent eye damage due to extreme ultraviolet rays. MacCready contacted Bausch & Lomb asking them to create a type of sunglasses that would not only provide ultimate protection, but also look elegant. Soon enough, Bausch & Lomb developed a prototype, known as the Anti-Glare, consisting of a light frame and two green lenses made of mineral glass to filter out sun rays. Pilots in the United States Air Force immediately adopted the sunglasses. Most notably, when General Douglas MacArthur landed on the beach in the Philippines in World War II, photographers snapped several pictures of him wearing the Ray-Ban line. Through time, hundreds of Ray-Ban Sunglasses have earned appearances in Hollywood films dating back to the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s, starring Audrey Hepburn. The popularity of Ray-Ban sunglasses was confirmed in the Hollywood when Tom Cruise added his own contribution in the 1983 hit Risky Business. In 1999, the brand was sold to the Italian Luxottica Group for a reported 1.2 billion dollars. Celebrities who have been spotted wearing the shades are Sienna Miller, Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton, Drew Barrymore, and Rachel Bilson. Ray-Ban sunglasses are available at most Sunglass Hut, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom stores.
