Ocular implant with substantially constant retinal spacing for transmission of nerve-stimulation light

A system to aid in the treatment of a vision problem of an eye of a person, wherein the eye has an anteroposterior axis extending from the eye's anterior surface to the eye's retina, the system comprising:

• means for forming an optical path inside the person's eye, wherein the means for forming the optical path is substantially transparent to at least some infrared wavelengths of light between about 1000 nm and about 1900 nm, wherein the means for forming the optical path, when implanted at least in part within the eye, has a light-receiving anterior end closest to the eye's anterior surface, and extends to a posterior end, wherein the posterior end is within about 2 mm of the retina of the eye, and wherein the posterior end of the means for forming the optical path is shaped so as to have a substantially constant spacing from the ganglion layer of the retina of the eye;
• means for securing the means for forming the optical path to an anatomical feature of the eye;
• a camera, located external to the eye of the person, that generates an image signal representative of a scene;
• an image processor operatively coupled to the camera to receive the image signal and configured to generate a pulse-control signal representing pulse parameters that are based on the image signal;
• and
• a light source operatively coupled to the image processor to receive the pulse-control signal and configured to generate a spatial pattern of pulsed infrared light signals that is transmitted through the means for forming the optical path when implanted at least in part within the eye, wherein the spatial pattern of pulsed infrared light signals is configured to trigger a nerve-action potential response in nerves of a retina layer of the eye of the person, and wherein the pulsed infrared light signals generated by the light source have wavelengths between about 1810 nm and about 1900 nm.

A system to aid in the treatment of a vision problem of an eye of a person, wherein the eye has an anteroposterior axis extending from the eye's anterior surface to the eye's retina, the system comprising:

• an ocular unit configured to be implanted at least in part within the eye, wherein the ocular unit has an optical path that is substantially transparent to at least some infrared wavelengths of light between about 1000 nm and about 1900 nm, wherein the ocular unit, when implanted at least in part within the eye, has a light-receiving anterior end closest to the eye's anterior surface, and extends to a posterior end, wherein the posterior end is within about 2 mm of the retina of the eye, and wherein the posterior end of the ocular unit is shaped so as to have a substantially constant spacing from the ganglion layer of the retina of the eye;
• means for securing the ocular unit to an anatomical feature of the eye;
• a camera, located external to the eye of the person, that generates an image signal representative of a scene;
• an image processor operatively coupled to the camera to receive the image signal and configured to generate a pulse-control signal representing pulse parameters that are based on the image signal;
• and
• a light source operatively coupled to the image processor to receive the pulse-control signal and configured to generate a spatial pattern of pulsed infrared light signals that is transmitted through the ocular unit when the ocular unit is implanted at least in part within the eye, wherein the spatial pattern of pulsed infrared light signals is configured to trigger a nerve-action potential response in nerves of a retina layer of the eye of the person, and wherein the pulsed infrared light signals generated by the light source have wavelengths between about 1810 nm and about 1900 nm.