Patricia Bath, the first African American Female Doctor to receive a Medical Patent in the U.S.

Jessica Lewis

Feb 28, 2021

3 min read

Updated: Mar 17, 2021

Black History Month is an annual celebration in February to honor the achievements of African Americans and a time to acknowledge their prominent role in establishing the growth and prosperity of the United States. The African Americans are the invisible souls in the society whose history and accomplishments are cast in the shadows until this particular time. Therefore, African Americans remember their distinguished heroes who helped paved the path to the success of other black individuals.

One particular eminent individual is Patricia Bath, an ophthalmologist who invented a new technique for cataract surgery. Patricia Bath was born in Harlem, NY, on Nov 4, 1942. Bath’s scientific intellect was recognized as a recipient of a U.S. National Science Foundation scholarship when she was only a teenager. She was able to pursue a research project at Yeshiva University. To start her journey in science, she majored in chemistry at Hunter College. Her pivoted moment was the time she spent at Howard University College of Medicine pursuing a medical degree. Many of her colleagues described her as an individual with superior intellect, drive, and confidence. Her superb abilities harnessed her innovation. She returned to New York and interned at Harlem Hospital and completed a fellowship in ophthalmology at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. At that special moment, she realized her mission in her career. She observed that black patients suffered from blindness at a higher rate than their white counterparts. This discovery motivated her to determine a solution to improve this health disparity in underserved communities. Patricia Bath completed her residency at New York University and was declared the first African American resident in ophthalmology.

At the pinnacle of her career journey, she became the first female faculty member in the Department of Ophthalmology at the UCLA Stein Eye Institute. She also held a faculty position at Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science and became the first female leader in an ophthalmology residency at both institutions. When she embarked on her mission to treat patients with eye diseases, she realized that emerging laser technology is a better alternative to ultrasound probes for the treatment of cataracts by destroying and removing the protein deposits on the lens of the eye. Bath pursued her research to discover a new technique to treat cataracts. After hitting what she described as a “glass ceiling” while researching in the U.S., she landed in Europe. In 1988, she received a patent for the novel device Laserphaco Probe. This device orchestrated her technique to remove cataracts via laser technology. As a result of her aspirations, she believed that “eyesight is a basic human right.” She traveled the world and provided healthcare to patients suffering from a realm of eye diseases. Additionally, she trained ophthalmology students and co-founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness. In 2019, at the age of 76, she died from cancer complications in San Francisco, CA.

Figure 1: Laserphaco Probe

Patricia Bath was a distinguished hero in the black community, a noble individual with high excellence and great potential. Her colleagues called her a “genius” as her superior intellect was incomparable. In total, she held five U.S. patents. Although she experienced racism and sexism during her journey, this was not a reason to surrender; as a strong-willed individual, she “shook it off.” During an interview, she claimed, “that’s the noise, and you have to ignore that and keep your eyes focused on the prize.” 1 Bath was a champion for women in medicine and science. As an honorable black figure of the past, she has paved the path to the success of black individuals in society. In the black community, she is considered a vanguard of the Black Movement in American society; therefore, we will always remember her as someone who opened the doors to our future.

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