While February was Black History Month, today we would like to introduce you to Dr. Patricia Bath. Dr. Bath is a leader in the fight against blindness in the black community. At Columbia University she learned that African Americans were twice as likely to develop blindness, compared to other patients. Moreover, the demographic is eight times more likely to develop glaucoma.

Aside from being the first African American to finish a residency in ophthalmology, Dr. Bath was the first female faculty member in the Department of Ophthalmology at UCLA. She is the co-founder of the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness and invented the Laserphaco Probe in 1981. The device made cataracts treatments less painful and more precise.

SDCB helps people living with vision loss reach their highest level of independence. Please contact us to learn more.

“Black History: Bath brought sight to many”