Patricia Bath: ophthalmologist, inventor, and humanitarian

A series of firsts

During her career, Patricia Bath confronted the intersection of racism and sexism, according to her daughter, psychiatrist Eraka Bath. Never one to be thwarted, Bath gained a medical degree and started racking up a series of “firsts,” carving a path for women and minorities in ophthalmology, medicine, and academia. She was the first African American to undertake a residency in ophthalmology at New York University. When she received her fellowship, she became the first female ophthalmologist on the faculty of the Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science (David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California and Los Angeles) and the UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute. In 1976 she pioneered community ophthalmology, a new, volunteer based specialism providing eye care to underserved populations. Also in 1976, Bath, a tireless and passionate advocate for blind, poor, and minority ethnic people, co-founded a non-profit organisation, the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness. The organisation was founded to fight preventable blindness globally through programmes designed to protect, preserve, and restore the gift of sight. The institute argues that eyesight is a basic human right and that primary eye care must be a component of basic health services provided free, if necessary, for all humankind. In 1978 Bath founded an ophthalmic assistant training programme. In 1983 she became the first female chair of an ophthalmology residency programme in the US when appointed chair of the King-Drew-UCLA ophthalmology residency programme.

Early life and career

Born in Harlem, New York City, on 4 November 1942 to Rupert and Gladys (Elliott) Bath, Patricia’s roots had a profound influence on her. Rupert, an immigrant from Trinidad, was a merchant seaman who persevered against racism to become the first black motorman on the Interborough Rapid Transit System in New York. Gladys was a housekeeper. Their activist daughter once said that she was inspired to become a physician by a love of humanity and a passion for helping others. Like her parents, she admired Albert Schweitzer for his humanitarian work with people affected by leprosy in Africa, and Cecil Marquez, her family doctor and her father’s best friend, for his work in Harlem. Rupert strongly valued education and introduced his daughter to maths, science, and engineering. She loved to study. When in high school she received a National Science Foundation fellowship. When only 16 she derived a mathematical equation for predicting cancer cell growth.1 Bath gained a degree in chemistry at Hunter College in New York in 1964 and her medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine in Washington in 1968. At Hunter College she met Martin Luther King, Jnr, and became a disciple.2 An internship at Harlem Hospital Center offered her dream job, to serve the community where she was raised. She began to observe huge disparities in eye care between African American and white patient populations. She did a fellowship in ophthalmology (focused on corneal transplantation and keratoprosthesis surgery) at Columbia University. In 1979 Bath published research showing that blindness was twice as common in African Americans as in whites, and that eight times as many African Americans were blinded by glaucoma as whites.3 A prolific researcher, Bath was the author of more than 100 papers during her lifetime.

Patented inventions

In 1983 she created a new apparatus and minimally invasive technique (laser photoablative cataract surgery) for removing cataracts that is now widely used. In 1988 she patented the Laserphaco probe45 and became the first African American woman in the US to receive a patent for a medical invention. Ultimately, she held five US patents and three internationally (in Canada, Europe, and Japan). The introduction of the Laserphaco probe paved the way for small incision cataract surgery, which shortened surgery time, facilitating the introduction of foldable lenses and sutureless wound closure. It revolutionised the way in which cataract surgery is performed throughout the world and remains the most important instrument for cataract extraction in the world today.

Bath was an energetic and fierce mentor for her students and colleagues. She was also generous with her time, lecturing internationally and leading humanitarian initiatives around the world, such as through her collaboration with the World Health Organization to combat preventable blindness. Bath was relentless in her efforts to improve education, community services, research, and access to compassionate eye care services for all.

“Patricia Bath was a determined leader in optics, despite the discrimination she overcame,” said Elizabeth A Rogan, chief executive officer of the Optical Society.6 “She positively changed the view on what a woman in science can accomplish, and she invented a life enhancing procedure.”

Patricia Bath leaves her daughter, Eraka Bath, and her family.