Ophthalmologist and inventor
Dr. Patricia Bath
She overcame racial and gender barriers to become a pioneer in eye care, and invented a new way to treat cataracts.
Her path into medicine
Patricia Bath was born in Harlem, New York, in 1942. She earned her medical degree with honors from Howard University College of Medicine in 1968.
She trained in ophthalmology at New York University from 1970 to 1973, as the first African American resident in ophthalmology there. In the mid-1970s she became the first woman ophthalmologist on the faculty of UCLA's Jules Stein Eye Institute.
Eye care for every community
She proposed a new discipline, community ophthalmology, to bring eye care to underserved communities, and co-founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness.
An invention that restored sight
She invented the Laserphaco Probe, a device that uses a laser to remove cataracts. Her patent was granted in 1988, making her the first Black woman physician to receive a medical patent.
Milestones
1942
Born in Harlem, New York
1968
Medical degree with honors, Howard University College of Medicine
1970 to 1973
Ophthalmology training at New York University
Mid-1970s
First woman ophthalmologist on the faculty of UCLA's Jules Stein Eye Institute
1988
Patent granted for the Laserphaco Probe
2019
Died in May, after a career devoted to restoring sight