C4IP is recognizing Dr. Patricia Bath (1942-2019), an ophthalmologist and inventor who helped revolutionize cataract treatment and restore sight to patients around the world.
- Bath was interested in science from a young age and dedicated herself to combating preventable blindness in underserved communities after learning during her ophthalmology internship that eye diseases like glaucoma were disproportionately common in Black communities.
- Researching ways to make cataract surgery more accurate and less invasive, Bath developed a way to use a laser to remove the clouded lens that required a much smaller incision than other existing methods.
- In 1988, she was granted U.S. Patent No. 4,744,360 for an “apparatus for ablating and removing cataract lenses,” becoming the first African-American woman to receive a patent for a medical purpose.
- In all, Bath acquired five U.S. patents as well as international patents in Japan, Canada, and several European countries.Bath’s invention — known as the Laserphaco Probe — revolutionized the treatment of cataracts and helped restore sight to millions of patients, including some who had been blind for decades.
-
-
- Bath’s work addressed a condition that remains a global health challenge today, as cataracts remain the leading cause of blindness worldwide and were estimated to have caused blindness in 2 million people in 2020.
- Globally, the Laserphaco Probe is estimated to be used in more than one in every 20 cataract surgeries.
-
Bath’s invention — and her subsequent work to advocate for patients, which included co-founding the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness — illustrate how strong patent rights allow scientists and innovators to translate their work into tangible benefits for others.