Mulie, I think your timeline on Bausch&Lomb is off by a mile and probably some other things are incorrect as well.
I distinctly remember almost buying a pair of $900 B&L reverse porros at Cabelas in about 2000-2001.
That aint' "what somebody told me". I was there and they were in my hands and I almost wrote the check.
Just like you almost know what you're talking about, but not really.