The Laserphaco Probe Inventor, Dr. Patricia Bath

Dr. Patricia Bath, the innovative surgeon who invented the Laserphaco Probe to treat cataracts and restore sight to thousands. Now in 2026, the National Inventors Hall of Fame inducted a Black woman for the first time in the organization’s nearly 50-year history, as reported in 2021.

Dr. Patricia Era Bath has vision. Not just the kind of vision that you use to see, or a vision for her own life. Dr. Bath has and continues to hold the vision that “sight is a basic human right.” And she lived her life pushing that vision to the limit as an ophthalmologist, inventor, surgeon, and educator. Her combined efforts have saved the vision of literally millions.

Now, in 2026, the National Inventors Hall of Fame inducted a Black woman for the first time in the organization’s nearly 56-year history 2021!

The late Dr. Bath will also be joined by engineer Marian Croak (the only other Black woman inducted) and the Hall of Fame’s upcoming inductee class for her creation of the Laserphaco Probe, a device and technique used to remove cataracts. She is the first Black woman physician to ever receive a medical patent and secured five total patents, according to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.