Published February 17, 2025
By : Staff Writer
National Women Inventors Month is celebrated in February to honor the contributions of women inventors.
One notable inventor recognized with a Women of Color STEM award is Patricia Bath, a pioneering scientist who completed her residency in ophthalmology in 1973.
Dr. Bath was born in New York City in 1942 to Rupert Bath, a pioneering motorman for the New York City subway system, and Gladys Bath, a stay-at-home mom.
At 16, Dr. Bath attended a cancer research workshop sponsored by the National Science Foundation, further fueling her passion for science.
Her parents supported her ambitions, and Dr. Bath excelled in school, completing her high school education in just two years. She then attended Hunter College in New York City, earning her bachelor's degree in 1964.
Following that, she pursued her studies at Howard University in Washington, D.C., graduating with honors in 1968 before starting an internship at Harlem Hospital.
Dr. Bath later pursued a fellowship in ophthalmology at Columbia University.
During her fellowship, she discovered that Black individuals are twice as likely to suffer from blindness and eight times more likely to develop glaucoma. This insight inspired her to create a community ophthalmology system to assist lower-income patients.
Dr. Bath also ventured into education, moving to California to serve as an assistant surgery professor at Charles R. Drew University and UCLA.
In 1976, she co-founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness and advocated for universal access to eye healthcare.
Her most famous invention, the Laserphaco Probe, revolutionized cataract treatment and is still used today.
In honor of Black History Month 2022, the Association for Women in Science celebrated scientists like Dr. Bath, whose curiosity, determination, and brilliance paved the way for other women and girls.
A 1997 Women of Color STEM honoree, Dr. Bath was recognized as a groundbreaking ophthalmologist.
In 2022, she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF), marking her as one of the pioneering inventors in its nearly 50-year history.
In 1986, Dr. Bath invented the Laserphaco Probe for cataract treatment. Using the Excimer Laser, she developed a minimally invasive method for cataract surgery that established the foundation for eye surgeons to use lasers to restore or improve vision for millions of patients suffering from cataracts worldwide.
Numerous achievements mark Dr. Bath's career.
In 1988, she received a medical patent, one of eight she would earn throughout her career. She was also a pioneer in completing an ophthalmology residency at New York University in 1973 and securing an appointment to the UCLA Medical Center surgical staff in 1974.
At UCLA, she was one of the first to lead a post-graduate training program in Ophthalmology.
A lifelong humanitarian, Dr. Bath founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness as part of her commitment to eradicating preventable blindness among racially minoritized populations.
She coined the term "Community Ophthalmology" to assert that "eyesight is a basic human right" and advocated for public health approaches to address visual inequities, ensuring that eye care became part of primary medical care.
Dr. Bath was honored at two ceremonies at the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum in Alexandria, VA, and during the 2022 National Inventors Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Washington, D.C.
