Project Description
Who invented the Laserphaco probe? This video celebrates the discoveries and inventions of Dr. Patricia Bath in medicine and science and empowers the next generation of mighty innovators.
Growing up in Harlem New York in the 50’s, Patricia Bath didn’t know any female doctors. Even so, she decided to study medicine despite many medical schools remaining majority white, and in 1973, she became the first African-American to complete a residency in Ophthalmology.
During her research, Dr. Patricia Bath noticed that African-Americans were more likely to have certain eye problems, like glaucoma and blindness.
To address this racial disparity, she started the first volunteer-based eye-care program, providing care to those who couldn’t afford treatment, and co-founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness. Even after becoming a UCLA professor, Dr. Bath had to fight for the respect of her peers. She eventually left the university to advance her career through research in Europe.
In 1986, she became the first African American woman to earn a medical patent by inventing the Laserphaco Probe. She used it to remove cataracts and restored the eyesight of people who had been blind for decades.
Through her ingenuity and efforts to improve people’s lives, Dr. Patricia Bath created a lasting legacy in the field of ophthalmology.
National Library of Medicine, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
