Dr. Patricia Bath

Dr. Patricia Era Bath’s life reads like a masterclass in brilliance, persistence, and purpose.

Born in Harlem, New York City, in 1942, Patricia Bath grew up in a household that quietly but powerfully nurtured her curiosity. Her father, an immigrant from Trinidad, worked as a subway motorman and was one of the first Black men to work in that role; he often shared stories about science, engineering, and the wider world. Her mother, a domestic worker, saved money so Patricia could buy a chemistry set—an early investment that sparked a lifelong love of experimentation. By her teens, Bath was already conducting scientific research, earning a National Science Foundation scholarship after creating a mathematical model to predict cancer cell growth. Even early on, she understood that science could—and should—be used to improve lives.

Bath went on to study at Hunter College and later earned her medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine in 1968. During her residency in ophthalmology, she began to notice a disturbing pattern: blindness was far more common among poor and Black patients than among wealthier white patients. Rather than accept this as inevitable, she asked why. Her research revealed that limited access to eye care and early treatment—not biological difference—was the real cause. This realization led her to help found the field of community ophthalmology, which combines public health, medicine, and social justice to bring eye care to underserved communities. She organized free eye clinics and screenings, believing that preventing blindness was just as important as treating it.

Dr. Bath’s most famous and transformative contribution came in 1986 with the invention of the Laserphaco Probe, a device that uses laser technology to remove cataracts with extraordinary precision. Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness worldwide, and Bath’s invention revolutionized their treatment, restoring sight to countless patients—including people who had been blind for decades. In 1988, she became the first Black woman physician to receive a U.S. medical patent, a historic milestone that symbolized both her scientific achievement and her perseverance in a system that often excluded people like her.

Her career was marked by barriers as well as breakthroughs. She was frequently the first woman and the first Black person in academic and medical spaces, and she faced sexism and racism throughout her training and professional life. Yet she refused to be deterred. Bath held academic positions at institutions such as UCLA, co-founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness, and continued to research ways to eliminate preventable vision loss around the globe.

What inspired Dr. Patricia Bath most was a deep belief in health equity—the idea that everyone, regardless of race, income, or geography, deserves access to quality medical care. She often spoke about the importance of representation in science and medicine, encouraging young people, especially girls and students of color, to see themselves as inventors and problem-solvers. Her life’s work stands as a reminder that innovation is most powerful when guided by compassion.

Dr. Patricia Bath passed away in 2019, but her legacy lives on every time someone regains their sight through modern cataract surgery. She didn’t just invent a medical device—she reshaped medicine to be more just, more inclusive, and more humane.