Retinal prosthesis with side mounted inductive coil
View Patent ↗The invention is a retinal prosthesis with an inductive coil mounted to the side of the eye by means of a strap around the eye. This allows for close coupling to an external coil and movement of the entire implanted portion with movement of the eye ball.
1. A retinal prosthesis comprising:
an electrode array suitable to be mounted in close proximity to a retina;
an electronics package;
an electrical cable coupling said electrode array to said electronics package, said
electrical cable suitable to pierce the pars plana region of a sclera;
a secondary inductive coil, electrically coupled to said electronics package and suitable to be mounted to a side of the sclera;
wherein said cable and electrode array comprise metal traces sandwiched between thin polymer films; and
said cable is folded to present a same side of side cable to both said electronics package and the retina.
2. A retinal prosthesis comprising:
an electrode array suitable to be mounted in close proximity to a retina;
an electronics package;
an electrical cable coupling said electrode array to said electronics package, said
electrical cable suitable to pierce a the pars plana region of a sclera;
a secondary inductive coil, electrically coupled to said electronics package and suitable to be mounted to a side of the sclera;
a strap connected to said secondary inductive coil and surrounding the sclera; and
a fan tail, having a decreasing radius of curvature, connected to said electronics package and to said cable to facilitate passing said cable through the sclera.
3. A retinal prosthesis comprising:
an electrode array suitable to be mounted in close proximity to a retina;
an electronics package;
an electrical cable coupling said electrode array to said electronics package;
a secondary inductive coil, electrically coupled to said electronics package and suitable to be mounted to a side of a skull outside an orbit of an eye;
a first passive coil suitable to be mounted within a body on a side of a skull; and
a second passive coil electrically coupled to said first passive coil and suitable to be mounted within the body proximate to said secondary inductive coil.
4. A retinal prosthesis comprising:
an electrode array suitable to be mounted in close proximity to a retina;
an electronics package;
an electrical cable coupling said electrode array to said electronics package;
a fan tail, having a decreasing radius, connected to said electronics package; and
a secondary inductive coil, electrically coupled to said electronics package and suitable to be mounted to the side of a sclera.
5. The retinal prosthesis according to claim 4 wherein said fantail is connected to said cable to facilitate passing said cable through the sclera.
6. A retinal prosthesis comprising:
an electrode array suitable to be mounted in close proximity to a retina;
an electronics package;
a folded electrical cable coupling said electrode array to said electronics package;
and a secondary inductive coil, electrically coupled to said electronics package and suitable to be mounted to a side of a sclera.
7. The retinal prosthesis according to claim 6 , wherein said cable is folded to present a same side of said cable to both said electronics package and the retina.