Dr. Patricia Bath

Dr. Patricia Era Bath invented the Laserphaco Probe in 1986, a device that uses laser technology to remove cataracts — revolutionizing eye surgery worldwide. She was the first Black woman to receive a medical patent and the first Black person to complete an ophthalmology residency at New York University.

Bath grew up in Harlem, where her father told her stories of his merchant marine travels and her mother saved money to buy her a chemistry set. She co-founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness based on her belief that eyesight is a basic human right.

Her research demonstrated that Black people were twice as likely to suffer from blindness due to lack of access to eye care — findings that drove her to develop community ophthalmology, bringing eye care to underserved populations.