Dr. Patricia Bath

Did you know that the FIRST person to invent and demonstrate laser cataract surgery was a Black woman? Her name was Dr. Patricia Bath (1942-2019). 

As a kid, Patricia Bath dreamed of being an ophthalmologist at a time when becoming a doctor wasn’t a career option for most women—especially Black women. As an adult, she cofounded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness, invented a specialized laser for removing cataracts, and became the first Black woman doctor to receive a medical patent.

You can read more about her life in the picture book Patricia’s Vision: The Doctor Who Saved Sight, written by Michelle Lord, illustrated by me, and published by Union Square Kids. (Shout out to my Art Director, Irene Vandervoort, and James Burns and the Bright Agency!) I absolutely loved illustrating Dr. Bath’s story. 

It’s available wherever books are sold!

I'll be back tomorrow with another story,
Alleanna

Further reading and watching:

Interview: Patricia Bath On Being The First Person To Invent & Demonstrate Laserphaco Cataract Surgery by Time Magazine

Interview: Meet a woman who changed the face of medicine by Good Morning America

Picture Book: The Doctor with an Eye for Eyes: The Story of Dr. Patricia Bath, written by Julia Finley Mosca and illustrated by Daniel Rieley

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