Patricia Bath

Doctor Patricia Bath, an ophthalmologist from New York, developed the Cataract Laserphaco Probe making her the first African American female doctor to patent a medical invention in 1988. Patricia Bath's patent (#4,744,360) was for a method that removed cataract lenses, transforming eye surgery by using a laser device to make the procedure more accurate.

The device was designed to use the power of a laser to quickly and painlessly vaporize cataracts from patients' eyes, replacing the more common method of using a grinding, drill-like device to remove the afflictions.
With another invention, Bath was able to restore sight to people who had been blind for over 30 years. Patricia Bath also holds patents for her invention in Japan, Canada, and Europe.  

Other Interesting Facts about Doctor Patricia Bath.

• Graduated from the Howard University School of Medicine in 1968 and completed specialty training in ophthalmology and corneal transplant at both New York University and Columbia University. 
• First African-American woman surgeon at the UCLA Medical Center and the first woman to be on the faculty of the UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute.
• Founder and first president of the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness.
• Elected to Hunter College Hall of Fame in 1988 and elected as Howard University Pioneer in Academic Medicine in 1993.

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