My late 2011 iMac's backlight has stopped working.

My late 2011 imac's backlight has gradually stopped working.
The problem started somewhere around december 2013, the screen would turn off if I had the brightness setting too high. A temporary fix was to turn the brightness setting down which has worked for me all the way up until now. The screen would gradually require more and more brightness to be reduced, until now Ihave it at the lowest setting and it is now turning off right after start up. I know this is a backlight problem because the computer is still running, yet you cant see anything on the screen. Example, If I had a video playing I can still hear it playing in the background and I can change volume etc. If I shine a flash light on the screen I just barely make out icons.
Now, this computer ran out of warranty years ago, and I dont have enough money to buy a new one. The computer as it is, is unusable at the moment.
I really need some help here! Is there anyway to get this fixed without warranty?