“Fight for the Right to Sight”

Imagine being blind for thirty years. Not being able to see a
beautiful sunny spring day in May or which way you’re walking down the
street. Thanks to the world-famous Dr. Patricia E. Bath and her
outstanding invention, the “Laserphaco Probe”, Dr. Patrica Bath found
a way to treat and prevent visual impairments, starting as early as
age sixteen.

Dr. Patricia E. Bath, ophthalmologic surgeon, African-American
female inventor, and activist for patients’ rights, was born in
Harlem, New York in 1942. Dr. Bath excelled in high school and
college, where she completed her M.D. at age 26. At the age of just
forty-five, Dr. Patricia Bath’s belief that “everyone has the right to
sight” started her work on her invention: The Laserphaco Probe.

The Laserphaco Probe is a specialized tool and uses a unique
procedure for the removal of cataracts. Dr. Patricia Bath designed the
Laserphaco Probe with an optical laser, an irrigaton system and
several suction tubes. The Laserphaco Probe is operated by inserting
the laser into a tiny incision on the eye. The laser then vaporizes
the cataract and lens material, which is removed through the suction
tubes. Lastly, a replacement lens is then inserted on the eye.

With her invention, The Laserphaco Probe, Dr. Patricia E. Bath
helped restore the sight of several people who had been victimized by
blindness for up to thirty years. In additon to determination, hard
work, and focus, Dr. Patricia E. Bath persevered and overcame her
struggles by abiding by her motto:

“Believe in the power of truth… Do not allow your mind to be
imprisoned by majority thinking. Remember that the limits of science
are not the limits of imagination.”



By: Jazmine Bowens
Section: Technology