Intraocular Camera for Retinal Prostheses

• US 20080086206A1
• Filed: 05/04/2007
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Southern California
• Original Assignee: University of Southern California
• Inventors: Hauer, Michelle, Nasiatka, Patrick, Stiles, Noelle, Tanguay, Armand, Humayun, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,197,539 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/6.14
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/08 Devices or methods enabling eye-patients to replace direct visual perception by another kind of perception
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0543 Retinal electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36046 of the eye

Abstract

An intraocular camera for retinal prostheses may include an optical imaging system comprising a set of optical elements for forming an image of the external world on an image sensor array, wherein the optical elements and the image sensor array may be enclosed in an implantable biocompatible housing that may employ haptic elements for stabilization within the eye. The set of optical elements may be designed to have a short focal length and to provide adequate resolution images that can be transformed into a set of stimulation signals applied to a pixellated microstimulator array. Transmission of the signals from the intraocular camera to a microstimulator driver circuit may be accomplished either by a wired or wireless communication device. Power and control signals may be provided to the intraocular camera by a wired or wireless communication device, or optically by means of ambient illumination or an optical beam.

Claims

1. An intraocular camera for retinal prostheses, comprising:

(a) at least one optical element configured to form an optical image;

(b) an image sensor array configured to receive the optical image and convert the optical image to an electronic signal; and

(c) a biocompatible, hermetic housing enclosure configured to be implanted within a patient'"'"'s eye and to contain at least the at least one optical element and the image sensor array.

2. The intraocular camera of claim 1, wherein the image sensor array is further configured to output the electronic signal in analog format.

3. The intraocular camera of claim 1, wherein the image sensor array is further configured to output the electronic signal in digital format.

4. The intraocular camera of claim 1, further comprising at least one moisture-absorbing element within the housing enclosure.

5. The intraocular camera of claim 1, further comprising an image sensor array controller located within the housing enclosure.

6. The intraocular camera of claim 1, further comprising an image sensor array controller located external to the housing enclosure.

7. The intraocular camera of claim 1, wherein the intraocular camera further comprises a circuit configured to provide wired communication with at least one external electronic device.

8. The intraocular camera of claim 1, wherein the intraocular camera further comprises a circuit configured to provide wireless communication with at least one external electronic device.

9. The intraocular camera of claim 8, wherein the wireless communication comprises unidirectional wireless communication.

10. The intraocular camera of claim 8, wherein the wireless communication comprises bidirectional wireless communication.

11. The intraocular camera of claim 1, further comprising an image data compression circuit located within the housing enclosure.

12. The intraocular camera of claim 1, further comprising an image data compression circuit located external to the housing enclosure.

13. The intraocular camera of claim 1, wherein the at least one optical element provides specified blurring of the image received by the image sensor array.

14. The intraocular camera of claim 1, wherein the position of the optical element relative to the position of the image sensor array provides specified blurring of the image received by the image sensor array.

15. The intraocular camera of claim 1, wherein the housing enclosure further comprises an optical window, and wherein the at least one optical element is displaced from the optical window.

16. The intraocular camera of claim 1, wherein the intraocular camera is configured to be placed within the crystalline lens sac of a patient'"'"'s eye.

17. The intraocular camera of claim 1, wherein the intraocular camera is configured to be placed either anterior or posterior to the crystalline lens sac of a patient'"'"'s eye.

18. The intraocular camera of claim 1, wherein the intraocular camera is configured to be placed partially anterior and/or posterior to the crystalline lens sac of a patient'"'"'s eye.

19. The intraocular camera of claim 1, wherein at least one optical surface of the at least one optical element and/or the image sensor array is coated with an antireflection coating.

20. The intraocular camera of claim 15, wherein at least one optical surface of the at least one optical element and/or the optical window is coated with an antireflection coating.

21. The intraocular camera of claim 1, wherein the intraocular camera further comprises a circuit configured to receive wired power from at least one external electronic device.

22. The intraocular camera of claim 1, wherein the intraocular camera further comprises a circuit configured to receive externally generated wireless power transmission from at least one external electronic device.

23. The intraocular camera of claim 1, wherein the intraocular camera further comprises an optical detector and a power conditioning circuit.

24. The intraocular camera of claim 22, wherein the circuit and/or the at least one external electronic device are configured to dynamically control the externally generated wireless power transmission.

25. The intraocular camera of claim 1, wherein the at least one optical element is selected from the group consisting of:

a refractive lens, a gradient index lens, a pinhole lens, a diffractive lens, a hybrid refractive/diffractive lens, a diffractive optical element, a stratified volume diffractive optical element, and a stratified volume holographic optical element.

26. The intraocular camera of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of optical elements.

27. The intraocular camera of claim 25, further comprising a plurality of optical elements.

28. The intraocular camera of claim 26, wherein the plurality of optical elements comprises a combination of at least one refractive lens and at least one diffractive optical element.

29. The intraocular camera of claim 26, wherein the plurality of optical elements comprises at least one refractive lens and at least one stratified volume diffractive optical element.

30. The intraocular camera of claim 26, wherein at least one optical surface of at least one optical element of the plurality of optical elements and/or the image sensor array is coated with an antireflection coating.

31. The intraocular camera of claim 7, further comprising an element configured to receive control signals from the at least one external electronic device.

32. The intraocular camera of claim 8, further comprising an element configured to receive control signals from the at least one external electronic device.

33. The intraocular camera of claim 1, further comprising at least one haptic element attached to the housing enclosure and configured to stabilize the camera within the patient'"'"'s eye.

34. The intraocular camera of claim 1, wherein the at least one optical element is adjustable.

35. The intraocular camera of claim 1, further comprising at least one circuit configured to provide for any one of power conditioning, power monitoring, closed loop power control, wired communications control, wireless communications control, data transmission, data reception, image sensor array control, image processing, and environmental sensing.

36. The intraocular camera of claim 35, wherein the image processing circuit is configured to process the image prior to image transmission and/or retinal stimulation.

37. The intraocular camera of claim 25, wherein at least one surface of the at least one optical element is either spherical or aspherical.

38. The intraocular camera of claim 1, wherein the housing is sealed with an enclosed fully or partially pressurized atmosphere.

39. The intraocular camera of claim 1, wherein the at least one optical element is configured to be corrected for the dioptric power and aberrations of the biological corneal lens to form the optical image received by the image sensor array.

40. The intraocular camera of claim 1, wherein the at least one optical element is configured to be corrected for the dioptric power and aberrations of an artificial corneal lens to form the optical image received by the image sensor array.

41. The intraocular camera of claim 1, further comprising a variable aperture.

42. An intraocular camera system, comprising:

(a) at least one optical element configured to form an optical image;

(b) an image sensor array configured to receive the optical image and convert the optical image to an electronic signal;

(c) a housing enclosure configured to be implanted within a patient'"'"'s eye and to contain the at least one optical element and the image sensor array;

(d) a microstimulator driver circuit configured to receive data corresponding to the electronic signal; and

(e) a microstimulator array configured to stimulate the patient'"'"'s retina based on the electronic signal.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the microstimulator array is configured to be surgically implanted within the patient'"'"'s eye epiretinally.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein the microstimulator array is configured to be surgically implanted within the patient'"'"'s eye subretinally.

45. The system of claim 42, wherein the microstimulator array is configured to be surgically implanted within the patient'"'"'s eye such that it interfaces with the optic nerve.

46. The system of claim 42, wherein the at least one optical element is configured to be corrected for the dioptric power and aberrations of a biological corneal lens to form the optical image received by the image sensor array.

47. The system of claim 42, wherein the at least one optical element is configured to be corrected for the dioptric power and aberrations of an artificial corneal lens to form the optical image received by the image sensor array.

48. The system of claim 42, further comprising at least one haptic element configured to stabilize the housing enclosure within the patient'"'"'s eye.

49. The system of claim 42, further comprising at least one haptic element configured to stabilize the housing enclosure within the patient'"'"'s eye during foveation.

50. The system of claim 42, further comprising either an eyeglass and/or a contact lens external to the patient'"'"'s eye, configured to correct for any one of housing enclosure misalignment errors, housing enclosure placement errors, optical image formation errors, optical performance changes resulting from patient aging, or deformations of a patient'"'"'s corneal lens.

51. The system of claim 42, wherein the image sensor array comprises a plurality of pixels, and wherein the number of pixels in the image sensor array is either equal to or exceeds the number of microstimulator elements within the microstimulator array.

52. The system of claim 42, wherein the image sensor array, microstimulator driver circuit, and microstimulator array are further configured to generate data corresponding to a video stream, and wherein the microstimulator driver circuit and microstimulator array are configured to stimulate the retina based on the video stream in real time or near real time.

53. The system of claim 42, wherein the image sensor array, microstimulator driver circuit, and microstimulator array are further configured to generate data corresponding to still images in a manner controlled by the patient and/or a physician, and wherein the microstimulator driver circuit and microstimulator array are configured to stimulate the retina based on the still images in real time or near real time.