Geola, short for General Optics Laboratory, laid down its roots in early 1992 shortly after Lithuania declared independence from the Soviet Union. Dr. David Ratcliffe, a British physicist and then managing director of General Optics Pty Ltd, a company incorporated in South Australia, traveled to Vilnius, Lithuania in order to meet Mr. Leon Issachenkov, the then director of a newly formed computer trading company, UAB Infortechnika. As a result of this meeting Infortechnika signed a contract with General Optics for the distribution of Soviet laser and optical equipment in Australia. The two companies worked together successfully for several years supplying the Australian science market.

General Optics Pty Ltd was closely associated with another company in Australia - Australian Holographics Pty Ltd. This company specialized in the production of ultra-large format holograms for mostly Asian clients. From 1992 onwards Australian Holographics started working closely with Infortechnika in all aspects of Holography. By 1995 the activities between Infortechnika and the Australian companies had necessitated the incorporation of a new company, which was named Geola uab - an abbreviation for "General Optics Laboratory". By 1996 Dr. David Ratcliffe had moved to Lithuania in order to oversee operations, the company consisted of 5 people and was enjoying successful collaborations in Australia, France and the UK.

From 1995 onwards Geola turned its attention more and more towards pulsed laser holography. Led by Drs. Rodin, Grichine and Ratcliffe, the company developed high energy pulsed solid-state lasers and automated holography systems incorporating these lasers. In 1997 the first Nd:Glass lasers and holography camera systems were launched commercially in Germany.

In 1998 Dr. Stanislovas Zacharovas, Geola's current managing director, joined the company. A close relationship was started with the Russian factory AO Slavich, a holography emulsion producer. Shortly after this AGFA, a major Belgium holography emulsion producer announced that it was ceasing all production of holography films. Geola was consequently able to establish a large international network distributing Slavich emulsions for holography. Today Geola is the official "International Sales Co-ordination Office" for Slavich and most of the world's albeit modest holography film requirements are now met here.

In same 1998 Geola commenced an intensive programme of research and development into digital holography using pulsed Neodymium lasers. As an integral part of its R&D programme into digital holography Geola developed a unique prototype RGB pulsed laser. The company had felt from the start of the programme that the only feasible solution towards a real commercial holographic printer would be one based on pulsed rather than CW laser technology. By 1999 Geola had developed and patented both 1-step and 2-step digital hologram printing technologies based around their pulsed lasers.

From 1998 to 2000 Geola grew quickly to over 30 people. In this time a very large part of the company resources were spent on fundamental R&D. Quite some part of this R&D has been published in the public domain.

By early 2002 Geola had delivered a working RGB prototype dot-matrix printer to Montreal. This printer (see above) was able to generate full-colour reflection holographic prints by printing 15 RGB holopixels each second onto glass holoplates.

In 2000 Geola Technologies Ltd, a UK based company owned by the original shareholders of Geola uab, acquired the majority stake in Geola uab. All intellectual property is now owned and controlled by this company. From 2005 major manufacturing and sales activities were concentrated in Geola uab and in 2007 they were transferred to Geola Digital uab – company which majority stake belongs to key employees of Geola uab. The managing director of Geola Technologies Ltd is Dr. David Ratcliffe. The managing director of Geola Digital uab and Geola uab is Dr. Stanislovas Zacharovas.

In 2005 the device for the real life scene captures was invented by Geola. This device, called HoloCam, enabled to capture the real life objects spatial shape changes in time. The pictures obtained with the device can be then imprinted with Geola's digital holographic printer. That opened doors to the new four-dimensional imaging era, giving the possibility to have a real three-dimensional movie printed on a flat media.

In 2006 the Geola printing technologies were developing further and Dr. David Ratcliff and Dr. Stanislovas Zacharovas presented the new printing process at the International Symposium on Display Holography. By installing in Vilnius one printer manufactured by its former subsidiary XYZ Imaging (Canada) Geola started the first and only digital holographic printing services in Europe.

From 2008 this digital holographic printing is called i-Lumography (Integrated Light Writing). Geola has established world-wide holographic imaging studios network that at the moment consists of seven studios that operates Holocams manufactured by Geola Digital uab. Images captured in those studios are sent via Internet to Geola printer, are printed there and send back to studios for their clients.

Geola as well continues its holographic lasers and studios manufacturing. During last ten years of its activities, eleven analogue holographic studios were installed all over the world. Geola unique SLM lasers, especially Red, Green and Blue pulsed lasers, are starting to find applications outside holography. Due to their very stable energy and spatial beam profile those lasers are used as seeders in plasma synthesis lasers and in other industrial and scientific applications.

Today the Geola Group offers:
- i-Lumograms
- RGB solid-state lamp-pumped pulsed lasers
- Pulsed Q-switched hybrid Nd:YLF/Nd:Glass lasers up to 8 Joules in Green
- Custom made pulsed laser systems
- Automated turnkey analogue holographic studio systems based on pulsed lasers
- Custom made systems for digital pulsed holography
- Holographic photomaterials
- Technical photomaterials
- Pulsed laser components