US Patent 5,843,071 granted, continuing Bath's Laserphaco line of cataract-removal inventions.
On December 1, 1998, Patricia Bath was granted her second Laserphaco-related patent, US Patent 5,843,071, titled 'Method and apparatus for ablating and removing cataract lenses.' This patent expanded upon her original 1988 invention, refining the methodology for using laser energy to safely and effectively remove cataracts from the eye.
By the late 1990s, Bath had spent over a decade refining her approach to cataract surgery, incorporating new technological advances and clinical insights gained from the widespread adoption of her original device. This continued innovation demonstrated her sustained commitment to improving ophthalmic surgical techniques and her determination to keep pace with evolving laser technology.
The patent reflects Bath's broader legacy as a serial inventor who did not rest on a single breakthrough but continued to refine and extend her contributions to cataract treatment throughout her career. Her sustained output of patents in this field — five in total over fifteen years — illustrates a rare combination of clinical expertise, engineering ingenuity, and entrepreneurial persistence, especially remarkable given the systemic barriers she faced as a Black woman in both medicine and the patent system throughout her career.