Granted US Patent 4,744,360 for the Laserphaco Probe, a laser device to remove cataracts, making Bath the first African-American woman physician to hold a medical patent.
On May 17, 1988, Patricia Bath was granted US Patent 4,744,360 for her invention titled 'Apparatus for ablating and removing cataract lenses' — commonly known as the Laserphaco Probe. This achievement made her the first African-American woman physician to receive a patent for a medical purpose, a landmark moment in the history of both medicine and invention.
Bath had originally conceived the device in 1981, envisioning a way to use laser technology to more precisely and painlessly dissolve cataracts than the manual mechanical methods then in use, which relied on grinding instruments and were prone to complications and imprecision. She completed the technical development of the device during a 1986 sabbatical in Paris and Berlin, where laser technology for medical applications was more advanced and accessible, since American laboratories at the time were slower to embrace her research.
The Laserphaco Probe combined the ability to ablate (vaporize) cataracts using laser energy, irrigate and clean the eye, and facilitate the easy insertion of a replacement lens, all in a single minimally invasive procedure. This innovation dramatically improved outcomes for cataract patients worldwide, particularly restoring or improving sight for people who had been blind for decades. The device has been used internationally, including in countries with limited access to advanced ophthalmic care, embodying Bath's lifelong belief that 'eyesight is a basic human right.'