Patricia Bath

Patricia Bath was a pioneering Black physician who revolutionized cataract treatment with her invention of the Laserphaco Probe. Her passion for science from a young age led her to a career in medicine, and in 1969, she became the first Black person to train in ophthalmology at Columbia University. Dedicated to expanding eye care access for underserved communities, she co-founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness in 1976, emphasizing that “eyesight is a basic human right.” A decade later, she developed and patented the Laserphaco Probe in 1988, making history as the first African American female doctor to receive a medical patent. Bath passed away in May 2019 at age 76, and in 2022, she was honored as one of the first Black women inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.