JP2021023541A - Ophthalmologic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an ophthalmologic apparatus capable of suitably adjusting positional relation between an eye and an optical system.SOLUTION: An ophthalmologic apparatus 1, 500 comprises: an irradiation optical system 10, 110 that has an objective optical system 17, 117 and irradiates a user's eye E with light along an optical axis L passing the objective optical system 17, 117; and a fulcrum part 5, 130 formed at a position apart from the optical axis L, the fulcrum part 5, 130 being used for tilt adjustment on the optical axis L in a state in which positional relation between the user's face and the irradiation optical system is bound using at least one point. By utilizing the tilt adjustment, the ophthalmologic apparatus 1, 500 enables suitable adjustment of positional relation between the eye and the optical system.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present disclosure relates to an ophthalmic apparatus that irradiates a user's eye with light.

Various devices are known that irradiate the user's eye with light via an optical system arranged near the user's eye.

An example of this type of device is an ophthalmic device. For example, in an eye examination device, which is a type of ophthalmic device, illumination light or measurement light is projected onto the eyes of a subject who is a user, and is used for inspection.

Patent Document 1 discloses a device provided with a so-called eyecup on the front surface of the device. The eyecup disclosed in Patent Document 1 is brought into contact with the periphery of the subject's eye in order to keep the distance from the eye constant. In Patent Document 1, the eyecup is formed in an oval or elliptical shape with the left-right direction as the longitudinal direction, and is curved in a concave shape along the roundness of the face.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-229022

In order to irradiate the light from the device to the desired position of the eye, the positional relationship between the eye and the optical system needs to be properly adjusted.

However, in Patent Document 1, since the shape of the eyecup is curved in a concave shape along the roundness of the face, it is considered difficult to adjust the positional relationship between the eye and the optical system after the eyecup is brought into contact with the eyecup. Be done.

The present disclosure has been made in view of at least one of the problems of the prior art, and it is a technical subject to provide an ophthalmic apparatus capable of satisfactorily adjusting the positional relationship between the eye and the optical system.

The ophthalmic apparatus according to the first aspect of the present disclosure has an objective optical system, and is separated from an irradiation optical system that irradiates a user's eye with light along an optical axis passing through the objective optical system and the optical axis. It is a fulcrum portion formed at a position, and includes a fulcrum portion for tilting and adjusting the optical axis in a state where the positional relationship between the user's face and the irradiation optical system is constrained at at least one point. ..

According to the present disclosure, the positional relationship between the eye and the optical system can be satisfactorily adjusted.

It is a figure which showed the whole structure of the eye examination apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the difference of mode between right eye examination and left eye examination in the eye examination apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which showed the optical system and the control system of the eye examination apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the alignment adjustment method using tilt adjustment. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the alignment adjustment method which used both tilt adjustment and shift adjustment. It is a figure for demonstrating another example of the alignment adjustment method which used both tilt adjustment and shift adjustment. It is a figure which showed the whole structure of the eye examination apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which showed the optical structure of the eye examination apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the component concerning the alignment adjustment in the eye examination apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described based on an embodiment with reference to the drawings. Some or all of the components in each embodiment may be appropriately applied to other embodiments.

The ophthalmic apparatus of the present disclosure irradiates the user's eye with light while the apparatus is close to the user's eye. The ophthalmic device may be an eye examination device that examines the eye. Hereinafter, a user who receives light from an eye examination device will be referred to as a subject. The eye of the subject is hereinafter referred to as the eye to be inspected. The examination by the eye examination device may be a subjective examination or an objective examination. Further, the eye examination device may be, for example, a device for inspecting the structure of the eye to be inspected or a device for inspecting the function. The device for inspecting the function may be, for example, a device for inspecting the refraction function or the like, or a visual function (retinal function) inspection device such as a perimeter. The device for inspecting the structure may be a photographing device. In addition, examples of ophthalmic devices other than the eye examination device include devices that assist the user's visual recognition by projecting an external image or the like onto the retina.

"First embodiment"
As one of the embodiments of the ophthalmic apparatus of the present disclosure, the ophthalmic apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 (hereinafter referred to as “the apparatus 1”) will be described. In the following description, the ophthalmologic device 1 is assumed to be a fundus photography device used for fundus examination as an example. The fundus imaging device may be a device that captures a frontal image of the fundus, or may be a device that captures a tomographic image of the fundus.

Further, in the description of each figure, the Z direction is the working distance direction, the X direction is the left-right direction, and the Y direction is the up-down direction.

<Appearance configuration>
First, the appearance configuration of the present apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the present device 1 may include a housing 1a and a fulcrum portion 5. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the present device 1 is a handy type device. That is, the present device 1 may include a support portion 1b for the examiner to support the housing 1a. Further, the present device 1 may include an eyepiece 6 and a monitor 90. For example, an anterior segment observation image is displayed on the monitor 90. Alignment is possible based on the anterior segment observation image. Further, the monitor 90 may display the inspection result (photographing result and measurement result) by the present device 1. The monitor 90 may be, for example, a touch panel or may also serve as an input interface. The input interface in the present device 1 may be a switch or the like installed in either the housing 1a or the support portion 1b and is separate from the monitor 90. Various operations such as release operation are accepted via the input interface.

In the first embodiment, the irradiation optical system is housed in the housing 1a (see FIG. 3). In FIG. 1, reference numeral L indicates an optical axis of the irradiation optical system. The optical axis L extends to the outside of the housing via an objective optical system (here, an objective lens 17) provided in the irradiation optical system. The light from the irradiation optical system is emitted along the optical axis L. Further, the axis O shown in FIG. 1 may be the initial position of the optical axis L. Although the details will be described later, the optical axis L may be displaceable in the direction orthogonal to the axis O.

The examiner performs rough alignment by grasping the support portion 1b and moving the apparatus 1 with respect to the subject's face while checking the anterior segment observation image. That is, the examiner roughly aligns the optical axis L with respect to the eye E to be inspected, brings the optical axis L close to the eye E to be inspected to the extent that the apparatus 1 comes into contact with the eye E, and tilts the device 1 as described later.

The eyepiece 6 is a so-called eyecup that suppresses the inclusion of ambient light during an examination. Further, the eyepiece portion 6 may be a member for securing a gap between the front surface of the objective lens 17 and the face of the subject. This prevents dirt from adhering to the optical system. The eyepiece 6 may be made of a flexible member such as soft plastic, rubber, or urethane.

In the first embodiment, the fulcrum portion 5 is formed at a position away from the optical axis L. In the first embodiment, the fulcrum portion 5 is formed so as to project toward the face side of the eye E to be inspected. Further, the fulcrum portion 5 is brought into contact with the face of the subject on the front side of the housing 1a at the time of alignment. Even if the eyepiece 6 comes into contact with the subject's face as a result of alignment, the fulcrum 5 first comes into contact with the subject's face when the housing 1a is brought closer to the subject's eye E. Is contacted with.

In the first embodiment, the fulcrum portion 5 is connected to the nose of the subject when the apparatus 1 is arranged at a position where the optical axis L of the irradiation optical system coincides with the eye E to be examined and the required operating distance is reached. It is formed at the position of contact. However, the fulcrum portion 5 may be formed at a position around the eye E and in contact with a portion other than the nose. For example, the fulcrum portion 5 may be formed at a position where it comes into contact with either the eyebrows or the cheekbones.

The fulcrum portion 5 is used to tilt the optical axis L around the contact position in a state of being in contact with the face of the subject. In the example shown in FIG. 1, as a fulcrum portion, one point away from the optical axis L projects toward the face side of the eye E to be inspected and comes into contact with one point around the eye E to be inspected. This allows tilt adjustment with two degrees of freedom around the contact position (that is, it can turn in two different directions). However, the fulcrum portion is not limited to the one that enables tilt adjustment with two degrees of freedom. For example, the fulcrum portion may be capable of tilt adjustment with one degree of freedom. In this case, the fulcrum portion may be projected at two locations away from the optical axis L toward the face side of the eye E to be inspected, or may be projected linearly connecting the two locations. When such a fulcrum portion comes into contact with two points (or a straight line connecting the two points) around the eye E to be inspected, the tilt of the optical axis L can be adjusted with the straight line connecting the two points as an axis.

It is assumed that the fulcrum portion 5 shown in FIG. 1 is integrally molded with the eyepiece portion 6. However, it is not necessarily limited to this. The fulcrum portion may include a tilt mechanism, and in this case, the tilt mechanism may be various joint mechanisms such as a hinge and a ball joint.

Further, the protrusion amount of the fulcrum portion 5 may be set in consideration of the workability of the eyelid opening work. That is, in a state where the fulcrum portion 5 is in contact with the intended position (here, the nose) of the subject's face, a gap as wide as a finger is at least secured between the device and the subject's face. As described above, it is preferable that the fulcrum portion 5 protrudes.

One or both of the fulcrum portion 5 and the eyepiece portion 6 may be detachable from the housing 1a. This makes it easier to keep the part in contact with the subject's face clean, for example. For example, the fulcrum portion 5 and the eyepiece portion 6 can be removed for cleaning and sterilization. Further, one or both of the fulcrum portion 5 and the eyepiece portion 6 may be exchanged for one use. Various means can be considered as means for attaching and detaching the fulcrum portion 5 and the eyepiece portion 6 to and from the housing 1a. For example, it may be an attachment / detachment means using a magnet, a mechanical attachment / detachment means using a screw, a nail or the like, an attachment / detachment means using an adhesive tape or the like, or any other means. It may be a means.

Further, the apparatus 1 may include a sensor 5a (see FIG. 3) that detects a load on the fulcrum portion 5. The detection result of the sensor 5a is used to prevent the load from the fulcrum portion 5 from becoming overloaded. For example, notification may be performed based on the load detected by the sensor 5a. The notification may indicate a real-time load during alignment adjustment, or may indicate whether or not the permissible range has been exceeded. In the present device 1, for example, the notification is performed by the display on the monitor 90, but the notification is not necessarily limited to this, and the notification may be performed by voice or vibration.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, in the first embodiment, the positions of the fulcrum portion 5 on the front surface of the housing 1a are the position for left eye examination (FIG. 2A) and the right eye. It may be possible to switch to the inspection position (FIG. 2B). The position of the fulcrum portion 5 is symmetrical with respect to the axis O between the position for the left eye examination (FIG. 2 (a)) and the position for the right eye examination (FIG. 2 (b)). For example, the fulcrum 5 (along with the eyepiece 6) may be rotatable around the axis O, and by rotating, the position for left eye examination (FIG. 2 (a)) and for right eye examination. It may be possible to switch between the position of (FIG. 2B). At this time, the fulcrum portion 5 and the eyepiece portion 6 may have symmetrical shapes.

<Optical system>
Next, the optical system of the present device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, the range surrounded by reference numeral 2 indicates the entire optical system in the apparatus 1. The present device 1 has at least a fundus photography optical system 10. Further, the present device 1 may additionally have at least one of the anterior segment observation optical system 20 and the index projection optical system 25.

<Fundus photography optical system>
In the first embodiment, the fundus photography optical system 10 is a scanning optical system. That is, the fundus photography optical system 10 has an optical scanner 15, and the illumination light is scanned on the fundus by the optical scanner 15. The return light of the illumination light from the eye E to be inspected is guided to the light receiving element (detector) 19 by the light receiving optical system. The fundus image is generated based on the light receiving signal from the light receiving element 19.

The fundus photography optical system 10 may be, for example, an SLO (scanning light ophthalmoscope) optical system or an OCT optical system. In particular, in the case of the OCT optical system, the illumination light is referred to as measurement light. Further, in the OCT optical system, the light from the light source is divided into the reference light and the measurement light, and a tomographic image of the fundus of the eye to be inspected is generated based on the spectral interference signal by the reference light and the return light of the measurement light. To.

The irradiation optical system in the first embodiment is a part of the fundus photography optical system 10. That is, the fundus photography optical system 10 irradiates the eye E to be inspected with illumination light via the optical axis L. In FIG. 3, as an example, the irradiation optical system includes a light source 11, a beam splitter 12, an optical scanner 15, and an objective lens 17.

Further, the return light of the illumination light from the eye E to be inspected is guided to the light receiving element 19 by the light receiving optical system. The light receiving optical system is also a part of the fundus photography optical system 10. In FIG. 3, as an example, the light receiving optical system has a light receiving element 19. Further, the light receiving optical system shares the objective lens 17 to the beam splitter 12 with the irradiation optical system. The light receiving signal from the light receiving element 19 is input to the image processor 80, and the image processor 80 generates a fundus image of the eye E to be inspected based on the light receiving signal.

The optical axis L passes through the substantially center of the fundus photography optical system 10. The optical axis L may be a reference fixed-line optical axis. However, the drive range of the optical scanner 15 may be changed between each shooting. Therefore, the region through which the light passes from the optical scanner 15 to the fundus may be changed for each shooting according to the driving range of the optical scanner 15. That is, in the first embodiment, the optical scanner 15 is used to correct the displacement of the irradiation position of the illumination light on the fundus due to the tilt adjustment of the optical axis L with respect to the eye E to be inspected by deflecting the illumination light. May be done.

<Anterior segment observation optical system>
The anterior segment observation optical system 20 is used to acquire an anterior segment observation image of the eye E to be inspected. The anterior segment observation image is used for various adjustments such as alignment. The anterior segment observation optical system 20 includes, for example, a light receiving element for receiving at least the reflected light from the anterior segment. In the example of FIG. 3, the optical axis of the anterior segment observation optical system 20 is aligned with the optical axis L by the beam splitter 21. As a result, for example, the image center of the anterior segment observation image coincides with the optical axis L.

<Index projection optical system>
The index projection optical system 25 projects an index for alignment on the eye E to be inspected. The index is reflected in the anterior segment observation image. The examiner may adjust the alignment state in each direction by using the index image (shown as i10 to i70 in FIG. 1). Further, the index projection optical system 25 may also serve as anterior segment illumination.

For example, alignment adjustment may be performed in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis L based on the displacement between the index and the apex of the cornea. Further, the index may include a plurality of indexes based on finite far light and a plurality of indexes based on infinite distance light, and alignment adjustment regarding the direction along the optical axis L is performed based on the comparison result of the image intervals of both. You may be broken. However, the alignment adjustment method using the index image is not necessarily limited to this, and various other alignment adjustment methods may be used, or an index image suitable for the adjustment method may be projected.

<Optometry optical system>
Further, the apparatus 1 may include an optometry optical system (not shown). The fixation optical system projects an fixation target for guiding (that is, fixation) the line-of-sight direction of the eye E to be examined. The fixation target may be projected along the optical axis L, for example. The optometry optical system may also be used by the irradiation optical system.

<Shift mechanism>
As shown in FIG. 3, the present device 1 may include an adjustment mechanism 40 (also referred to as a shift mechanism). The adjusting mechanism 40 is driven to shift the position of the optical axis L with respect to the protrusion 5 in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis L. More specifically, the adjusting mechanism 40 in the first embodiment may displace the entire optical system represented by reference numeral 2 in the XY direction inside the housing 1a. On the other hand, the fulcrum portion 5 is fixed to the front surface of the housing 1a. Therefore, with respect to the direction intersecting the optical axis L, the positional relationship between the optical axis L and the fulcrum portion 5 is changed according to the drive of the adjusting mechanism 40. Further, the adjusting mechanism 40 may displace the entire optical system represented by reference numeral 2 in the Z direction. As a result, with respect to the axial direction of the optical axis L, the positional relationship between the pupil and the fulcrum portion 5 in the fundus photography optical system 10 (and the irradiation optical system) is changed according to the drive of the adjustment mechanism 40. Such an adjusting mechanism 40 may be driven based on a control signal from the control unit 70.

In the present embodiment, the shift movement by the adjustment mechanism 40 is driven independently of the tilt movement.

Each unit is controlled by the control unit 70. The control unit 70 is a processing device (processor) having an electronic circuit that performs control processing of each unit and arithmetic processing. The control unit 70 is realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, or the like. The control unit 70 is electrically connected to the storage unit 71 via a bus or the like. The control unit 70 may be further connected to each unit of the optical system 2, a monitor 90, an input interface (not shown), and the like.

<Alignment adjustment method>
Next, the alignment adjustment method in the present device 1 will be described. Since this device 1 is a fundus photography device, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, it has a conical shape with the optical axis L as the central axis, and one point in the light flux from the objective lens 17 (FIGS. 4 to 6). (Indicated by the chain line) is emitted. The position of the apex of the cone is referred to as the pupil position (indicated by reference numeral P1) of the photographing optical system 10 (and the irradiation optical system). Alignment adjustment is required when photographing the apparatus 1, but at this time, the positional relationship between the apparatus 1 and the eye E to be inspected is adjusted so that the above-mentioned pupil position P1 substantially coincides with the pupil P2 of the eye E to be inspected. Will be done. In FIGS. 4 to 6, the passing range of the luminous flux in the eye E to be inspected, which corresponds to a certain shooting range (referred to as the required shooting range), is shown by a dotted line.

First, the examiner selects the positions of the fulcrum portion 5 and the eyepiece portion 6 from either the left eye examination position or the right eye examination position, depending on whether the eye E to be examined is left or right. And adjust.

After the adjustment, acquisition and display of the anterior segment observation image are started. At this time, the alignment index may be projected at the same time.

Next, the examiner brings the apparatus 1 closer to the eye E to be inspected, and brings the fulcrum portion 5 into contact with the peripheral portion of the eye E to be inspected. Here, the fulcrum portion 5 is brought into contact with the nose N. FIG. 4 shows a case where the fulcrum portion 5 is in contact with the side surface of the nose muscle. At this time, the device 1 may be brought closer to the eye E to be inspected by moving the device 1 in the front-rear direction. Further, the device 1 may be brought closer to the eye E to be inspected by moving the device 1 from the ear side to the nose side in the left-right direction. Compared with the case of moving the fulcrum portion 5 in the front-rear direction, the fulcrum portion 5 is more likely to come into contact with the side surface of the nasal muscle, and the subject is less likely to receive a feeling of oppression due to the approach.

At the time when the fulcrum portion 5 comes into contact with the nose N, the pupil P1 of the photographing optical system 10 does not necessarily match the pupil P2 of the eye E to be inspected. Therefore, the examiner tilts the apparatus 1 with the contact position as a fulcrum. At this time, in the anterior segment observation image, the position of the optical axis L (for example, the center of the image) is tilted in a direction approaching the apex of the cornea (or the center of the pupil) (FIG. 4 (a) ⇒ FIG. 4 (b)). ).

In the present device 1, alignment is performed by using at least such tilt adjustment. Since the fulcrum portion 5 is in contact with the periphery of the eye E in advance, at least a certain amount of gap is always secured between the front surface of the device and the eyeball, so that the device may unintentionally contact the eyeball. It is possible to prevent the subject's face from coming into contact with the optical portion of the device (for example, the front surface of the objective lens 17). Such an adjustment method is particularly effective when the required working distance is short. Since the required working distance has a trade-off relationship with the aperture and angle of view of the objective lens 17 in the fundus photography device, it is an effective adjustment method for making the device compact and wide-angle.

However, since the shape of the subject's face differs between the subjects, it is conceivable that the pupil P1 of the photographing optical system 10 does not always match the pupil P2 only by the tilt adjustment. Therefore, the present device 1 may have an adjustment mechanism 40 (shift mechanism). As described above, the adjustment mechanism 40 shifts the position of the optical axis L with respect to the protrusion 5 in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis L. This makes it possible to adjust the alignment for faces of various shapes.

For example, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an alignment procedure for a subject whose nose N and eye E to be examined are separated in the X direction with respect to FIG. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, first, by tilt adjustment, the position of the pupil P1 of the photographing optical system 10 is set to the same position as the pupil P2 of the eye E to be inspected with respect to the axial direction of the optical axis L (here). Then, it may be adjusted to the same Z position) (FIG. 5 (a) ⇒ FIG. 5 (b)). Next, the position of the pupil P1 may be aligned with the pupil P2 of the eye E to be inspected by moving the optical axis L away from the fulcrum portion 5 by the adjusting mechanism 40 (FIG. 5 (b) ⇒ FIG. 5). (C)).

As another example, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an alignment procedure for a subject having a high nose N (the orbit is recessed) with respect to FIG. 4. In this case as well, as in the case of FIG. 5, first, the position of the pupil P1 of the photographing optical system 10 is adjusted to the same height as the pupil P2 of the eye E to be inspected with respect to the axial direction of the optical axis L by tilt adjustment (FIG. 6). (A) ⇒ Fig. 6 (b)). That is, the pupil P1 is moved on the plane m that is orthogonal to the optical axis L and passes through the pupil P2. Next, by moving the optical axis L away from the fulcrum portion 5 by the adjusting mechanism 40, the position of the pupil P1 can be aligned with the pupil P2 of the eye E to be inspected (FIG. 6 (b) ⇒ FIG. 6). (C)).

In FIG. 6C, the required photographing range corresponding to the dotted line and the irradiation range of the illumination light corresponding to the alternate long and short dash line are out of alignment. However, in a device in which the fixed-view optical axis coincides with the optical axis L regardless of the tilt amount, the deviation between the required imaging range and the irradiation range of the illumination light is eliminated by the rotation of the eye E to be inspected. Further, in a device in which the fixation direction with respect to the eye E to be examined does not change before and after the tilt adjustment, for example, the optical scanner 15 so as to correct the displacement of the irradiation range due to the tilt adjustment in the scanning range of the illumination light. The drive range in may be switched.

"Second embodiment"
Next, as another one of the ophthalmic apparatus and the embodiment of the ophthalmic apparatus of the present disclosure, the ophthalmic apparatus 500 shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 (hereinafter, referred to as “the apparatus 500”) will be described. The ophthalmologic apparatus 500 will be described as being a fundus photography apparatus used for fundus examination.

<Overall configuration>
The device 500 is a wearable device. Further, in the first embodiment, the objective optical system is a refraction system (lens system), whereas in the ophthalmic apparatus 500 according to the second embodiment, the objective optical system is a reflection system (mirror system). ..

The apparatus 500 includes a first optical unit 100, a second optical unit 200, and a control unit 300. As shown in FIG. 1, the first optical unit 100 has a head-mounted type housing 100a (see FIG. 9) and is worn on the face of a subject. The first optical unit 100 is provided with at least an objective optical system (here, an objective mirror 117 (see FIG. 8)) and a fulcrum portion 130 (see FIG. 9). A part of the optical device constituting the fundus photography optical system is arranged in the second optical unit 200. The control unit 300 controls the control of the device 500. Further, the control program of each of the optical units 100 and 200 may be stored in the built-in storage device of the control unit 300. As an example, as shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 300 may be a general-purpose PC. In this case, the inspection result may be displayed via the monitor of the control unit 300PC. Further, the present device 500 may operate based on the operation to various input interfaces provided in the PC.

In the second embodiment, the optical system is dispersedly arranged in the first optical unit 100 and the second optical unit 200, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the optical system may be centrally arranged in one unit. .. Further, the control unit 300 may also be integrated with other units.

<Detailed configuration of the first optical unit and the second optical unit>
The detailed configuration of the first optical unit 100 and the second optical unit 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. 8 and 9 show a view of the first optical unit 100 mounted on the face of the subject as viewed from above. In the second embodiment, the fundus photography optical system is formed by the optical devices included in both the first optical unit 100 and the second optical unit 200. The first optical unit 100 and the second optical unit 200 are connected by an optical fiber.

<Optical system of the first optical unit>
The optical system of the first optical unit 100 will be described with reference to FIG. The first optical unit 100 includes an optical system (irradiation optical system 110 in the second embodiment) that is independent of each of the left and right eyes. In the example of FIG. 8, as an example, each optical system is arranged symmetrically.

In FIG. 8, the irradiation optical system for the right eye and the irradiation optical system for the left eye have one of the following optical devices. That is, each optical system may have an optical scanner 115 and an objective mirror 117. In addition, each optical system further has a fiber exit end 114. Light from the light source 201 arranged in the second optical unit 200 is emitted from the fiber emission end 114.

The optical scanner 115 may be a device with two degrees of freedom (that is, capable of scanning light in two dimensions). In this case, the optical scanner 115 may be a MEMS mirror. Further, the optical scanner 115 may be a combination of two devices with one degree of freedom (optical scanners) having different scanning directions.

The objective mirror 117 is formed by a quadric surface or a high-order aspherical surface based on the quadric surface. For example, an elliptical mirror may be used as the objective mirror 117. When one of the two focal points in the elliptical mirror is aligned with the optical scanner 115, the pupil P of the optical system (irradiation optical system and fundus photography optical system) is formed at the other focal point. By adjusting the alignment so that the pupil P coincides with the pupil, the light from the irradiation optical system 110 is irradiated to the retina without the light being eclipsed by the iris.

In the second embodiment, the return light from the eye E to be inspected (for example, the fundus reflected light) follows the path at the time of irradiation in the reverse direction and is incident on the fiber exit end 114.

In the second embodiment, the objective mirror 117 may be a beam splitter. As a result, for example, another optical system can be arranged on the transmission side of the objective mirror 117 (beam splitter) when viewed from the eye E to be inspected, so that light can be transmitted and received between the other optical system and the eye E to be inspected. Become.

Here, in the first optical unit 100, since light is folded back on the reflection side of the objective mirror 117, it is difficult to secure a space between the face and the device. Further, when trying to secure a space for opening the eyelid (a space for inserting the eyelid opening device and the finger), there is no more space between the face and the device. For this reason, conventionally, it has been difficult to arrange another optical system in the space between the objective mirror 117 and the light source (here, the fiber exit end 114). On the other hand, in the second embodiment, since the objective mirror 117 is a beam splitter, another optical system can be arranged in the space on the transmission side of the objective mirror 117. Further, as compared with the case where another optical system is arranged on the reflection side of the objective mirror 117, the objective mirror 117 can be easily enlarged, and as a result, light can be easily irradiated to a wider area on the retina.

In the following description, the objective mirror 117 will be described as being a half mirror. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the objective mirror 117 may be another beam splitter that performs light separation by wavelength, angle of incidence, or polarization.

As another optical system, in the first embodiment, the optometry optical system 120 and the anterior segment observation optical system 125 are provided. One of these optical systems may be provided for each of the left and right eyes.

<Optometry optical system>
The fixation optical system 120 projects an fixation target for guiding (that is, fixation) the line-of-sight direction of the eye E to be examined. The optometry optical system 120 may be, for example, a point light source that emits visible light. In the second embodiment, the fixation target is projected along the Z direction.

<Anterior segment observation optical system>
The anterior segment observation optical system 125 is used to acquire an anterior segment observation image. The anterior segment observation image is used for various adjustments such as alignment. In the second embodiment, the anterior segment observation image may be displayed on a monitor of a PC used as, for example, the control unit 300. The anterior segment observation optical system 125 may include, for example, a light receiving element for receiving at least the reflected light from the anterior segment. In the example of FIG. 8, the anterior segment observation optical system 125 photographs the anterior segment from an oblique direction with respect to the fixed optical axis. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the optical axis of the anterior segment observation optical system 125 may coincide with the fixation optical axis.

<Configuration related to alignment adjustment>
Next, with reference to FIG. 9, the components related to the alignment adjustment included in the first optical unit 100 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 9, the first optical unit 100 includes a fulcrum portion 130 and an adjusting mechanism 140.

The fulcrum portion 130 is formed so as to project toward the face side of the eye E to be inspected at a position away from the optical axis L. One end of the fulcrum portion 130 is fixed to the housing 100a. In the second embodiment, the fulcrum portion 130 is a member in the shape of a nose pad of eyeglasses, and is in contact with the subject via a pad 135 which is a part of the fulcrum portion 130. The pad 135 is swingably attached. Further, the fulcrum portion 130 may be detachable from the housing 100a.

In the second embodiment, the fulcrum portion 130 has a head-mounted (here, eyeglass-shaped) housing 100a worn on the subject's face, thereby causing the subject's face (here, nose N). Contact with. However, the fulcrum portion 130 does not necessarily have to be formed in the shape of a nose pad. For example, the fulcrum portion 130 may be formed as a member that comes into contact with either the eyebrows or the cheekbones when the housing 100a is worn.

Similar to the first embodiment, the fulcrum portion 130 is used to tilt the optical axis L around the contact position in a state of being in contact with the face of the subject. In the present embodiment, the irradiation optical system 110 (here, the fiber exit end 114, the optical scanner 115, and the objective mirror 117) can be integrally tilted around the fulcrum portion 130. In the second embodiment, the drive mechanism 150 may be further provided. The drive mechanism 150 may change the tilt amount in the irradiation optical system 110 based on the control signal.

<Shift mechanism>
As shown in FIG. 9, the present device 1 may include an adjustment mechanism 140 (also referred to as a shift mechanism). The adjusting mechanism 140 is driven to shift the position of the optical axis L with respect to the protrusion 130 in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis L. Here, the adjustment mechanism 140 moves the irradiation optical system 110 in the X and Y directions. Here, in the present device 500, since the distance between the objective mirror 117 and the eye E to be inspected is short, precise adjustment is required. Therefore, for example, the adjusting mechanism 140 may be a mechanism for moving the irradiation optical system 110 by a feed screw.

Also in the second embodiment, the alignment adjustment can be performed by the same method as in the first embodiment by combining the tilt adjustment around the fulcrum portion 130 and the shift adjustment by the adjustment mechanism 140 (FIGS. 4 to 4). 6). At least one of the tilt adjustment and the shift adjustment may be controlled based on the anterior segment observation image. In this case, the alignment adjustment for the right eye and the alignment adjustment for the left eye may be linked. For example, when one of the irradiation optical system for the right eye and the irradiation optical system for the left eye is moved by alignment adjustment, the control unit 300 moves the other optical system to the left and right of the moving position of the one optical system. It may be automatically moved to a symmetrical position. As a result, the time for alignment adjustment for each of the right eye and the left eye can be suppressed.

When one or both of the tilt adjustment and the shift adjustment are manually performed, the operation unit may be provided on the outer surface of the housing 100a. The operating unit is used, for example, to determine the driving amount of the driving mechanism 150 or the adjusting mechanism 140. For example, the operation unit may be a "dial", a "knob", a "lever", or the like. The operation unit may be operated by an examiner. Further, the operation unit may be operated by the subject. That is, this device may be used in so-called self-optometry.

In the second embodiment, a head mount type (here, eyeglass type) housing 100a is adopted, and the positional relationship between the housing 100a and the face can be easily kept constant, as in the first embodiment. Compared with the hand-held device, the burden on the subject and the examiner is reduced, especially when inspecting the subject whose head is unstable.

<Second optical unit>
The second optical unit 200 includes at least a light source 201 and a light receiving element (detector) 209. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the second optical unit 200 may include a beam splitter 202 and an optical branching device 203.

In FIG. 8, the light from the light source 201 passes through the beam splitter 202 and is guided to the optical branching device 203.

The optical branching device 203 selectively connects the optical path of the second optical unit 200 to the right eye optical system and the left eye optical system of the first optical unit 100 based on the control signal. That is, the light source 201 and the light receiving element 209 are also used between the right eye optical system and the left eye optical system. For the optical branching device 203, for example, an optical switch may be used. In this case, it may be a MEMS switch or a mechanical switch. The optical branching device 203 may switch the optical path for each frame of scanning. Further, the optical branching device 203 may be controlled to switch the optical path for each scan of N scanning lines (1 ≦ N <Nmax, Nmax ... the number of scanning lines constituting one frame). As a result, the right eye and the left eye can be irradiated with light substantially at the same time, and the apparatus 500 can perform the examination of the right eye and the left eye substantially at the same time.

The return light from the eye E to be inspected incident on the fiber exit end 114 is guided to the light receiving element 209. The apparatus 500 acquires a fundus image based on the received signal.

Although the present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiment, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are allowed.

For example, in the second embodiment, the fulcrum portion 130 has been described as being a member that comes into contact with the subject. However, in the second embodiment, the housing is fixed to the face of the subject by the ear hook portion of the housing or the like. Therefore, the irradiation optical system may be tiltable around the fulcrum portion with a part of the housing as the fulcrum portion. As described above, in the present disclosure, when the alignment is adjusted, the positional relationship between the irradiation optical system and the subject's face is constrained in advance at at least one point, so that it is easy to prevent unintended contact during alignment. It is a thing. A portion that constrains the positional relationship between the irradiation optical system and the subject's face at at least one point can be referred to as a restraint portion. In the first embodiment, the restraint portion corresponds to the fulcrum portion 5, and in the second embodiment, the fulcrum portion 130 and the ear hook of the housing 101a correspond to the restraint portion. That is, in the housing, the portion that comes into contact with the subject's face can be used as a restraint portion.

Further, the alignment guidance according to each of the above-described embodiments is realized by driving and controlling the adjustment mechanism for tilt movement or shift movement based on the front eye observation image. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the guidance control of the alignment state provides a guide regarding the driving of the adjustment mechanism 140 or 150 to at least one of the examiner and the examinee based on the front eye observation image. It may be a notification. The guide may be notified to the examiner or the subject as audio or visual information. For example, at this time, the amount of misalignment may be notified, the direction for eliminating the misalignment may be notified, or the operation for that purpose may be notified.

For example, the ophthalmic apparatus according to each of the above embodiments has been described as a handy type apparatus, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this, and a stationary type apparatus may be used. In this case, the ophthalmologic apparatus may be provided with a tilt mechanism for tilting and adjusting the optical axis of the irradiation optical system around the contact position between the fulcrum portion and the user's face. By providing this tilt mechanism, even in a stationary type device, it is possible to adjust the positional relationship between the eye and the optical axis (that is, alignment adjustment) by using tilting. The tilt mechanism may be driven manually or may be driven based on a control signal. A typical stationary type device was provided with a face support unit (chin cradle and forehead rest) to support the subject's face. On the other hand, if the fulcrum portion is provided as in the present disclosure, the position of the face can be stabilized by contacting the fulcrum portion with the face of the subject, so that the face support unit is not always necessary. Not done.

1,500 Ophthalmic device 5,130 Supporting point 10,110 Irradiation optical system 17 Objective lens 117 Objective mirror L Optical axis

Claims (8)

An irradiation optical system having an objective optical system and irradiating the user's eye with light along an optical axis passing through the objective optical system.
A fulcrum portion formed at a position away from the optical axis, for tilting and adjusting the optical axis in a state where the positional relationship between the user's face and the irradiation optical system is constrained at at least one point. An ophthalmic device including a fulcrum. The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fulcrum portion adjusts the tilt of the optical axis around the contact position by contacting the user's face. The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the fulcrum portion is formed so as to project toward the face side of the subject. The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the fulcrum portion is detachable from a housing accommodating the irradiation optical system. It comprises observation optics, which acquires an anterior segment observation image of the user's eye.
The ophthalmologic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a control unit that guides alignment based on the anterior segment observation image. The ophthalmic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a shift mechanism for shifting the position of the optical axis with respect to the fulcrum portion in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis. The ophthalmic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a load detecting means for detecting a load on the fulcrum portion. The ophthalmic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a support portion for the subject or the examiner who is the user to support the housing including at least the irradiation optical system.