JP2024036142A - Ophthalmology imaging equipment and ophthalmology imaging program - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an ophthalmologic imaging device and an ophthalmologic imaging program that can reduce glare.
[Solution] An ophthalmological imaging device for photographing an eye to be examined, comprising: a visible light source that emits visible light; a projection optical system that projects the visible light onto the eye to be examined; a scanning unit that scans the visible light reflected by the eye to be examined; a light receiving optical system that receives the visible light reflected by the eye to be examined; and a light receiving optical system that detects the visible light received by the light receiving optical system and captures an image. an image sensor that outputs a signal; an image acquisition device that acquires a color image of the eye to be examined based on the imaging signal; a wide area scan that controls the scanning device to scan a wide area with the visible light; The present invention is characterized by comprising a control means for switching the scanning area between narrow area scanning and narrow area scanning in which light is scanned in a narrower area than the wide area scanning.
[Selection diagram] Figure 3

Description

The present disclosure relates to an ophthalmological photographing device that photographs a subject's eye, and an ophthalmological photographing program.

2. Description of the Related Art Ophthalmologic photographing devices (for example, scanning laser ophthalmoscopes that scan laser light) that photograph a subject's eye by scanning light with a scanning unit (such as a scanner) are known (see Patent Document 1). In these devices, for example, point-shaped light or slit-shaped light is scanned.

Special Publication No. 61-048940

By the way, as a new laser photocoagulation device, an ophthalmological device in which an ophthalmological photographing device and a laser treatment device are integrated has been developed. With such an apparatus, it is desirable to observe a lesion such as a capillary aneurysm using a color image.

However, in order to obtain a color image, it is necessary to perform color photography by irradiating the subject's eye with visible light, which is a glare and a burden to the subject.

In view of the problems of the prior art, a technical problem of the present disclosure is to provide an ophthalmologic imaging device and an ophthalmologic imaging program that can reduce glare on a subject during color imaging.

In order to solve the above problems, the present disclosure is characterized by having the following configuration.

(1) An ophthalmological imaging device for photographing an eye to be examined, comprising a visible light source that emits visible light, a light projection optical system that projects the visible light onto the eye to be examined, and light projected by the light projection optical system. a scanning unit that scans the visible light with respect to the eye to be examined; a light receiving optical system that receives the visible light reflected by the eye to be examined; and a light receiving optical system that detects the visible light received by the light receiving optical system to generate an imaging signal. an image pickup device that outputs a color image of the eye to be examined based on the image pickup signal; a wide area scan that controls the scanning unit to scan a wide area with the visible light; The present invention is characterized by comprising a control means for switching the scanning area between narrow area scanning and scanning in a narrower area than the wide area scanning.
(2) An ophthalmological imaging device for photographing the eye to be examined, comprising a visible light source that emits visible light, an infrared light source that emits infrared light, and projects the visible light and the infrared light onto the eye to be examined. a light projection optical system; a scanning means for scanning the eye to be examined with the visible light and the infrared light projected by the light projection optical system; and the visible light and the infrared light reflected by the eye to be examined. a light-receiving optical system that receives light; an image sensor that detects the visible light and the infrared light received by the light-receiving optical system and outputs an imaging signal; and a color image of the eye to be examined based on the imaging signal. and an image acquisition means for acquiring.
(3) An ophthalmologic imaging program executed in an ophthalmologic imaging device that photographs an eye to be examined, which is executed by a control means of the ophthalmologic imaging device to emit light from a visible light source and project light by a projection optical system. a scanning step of scanning the eye to be examined with visible light; an imaging step of detecting the visible light reflected by the eye to be examined and received by a light receiving optical system to output an imaging signal; an image acquisition step of acquiring a color image of the eye to be examined based on the image; and a wide area scan in which the visible light is scanned over a wide area in the scanning step, and a narrow area scan in which the visible light is scanned in a narrow area narrower than the wide area. The ophthalmologic imaging apparatus is characterized in that the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus executes a control step of switching the scanning area with and.
(4) An ophthalmological imaging program executed in an ophthalmological imaging device that photographs an eye to be examined, which is executed by a control means of the ophthalmological imaging device to emit light from a visible light source and an infrared light source, and to emit light from a light projecting optical system. a scanning step of scanning the eye to be examined with visible light and infrared light projected by the eye; and detecting the visible light and the infrared light reflected by the eye to be examined and received by a light receiving optical system. The method is characterized in that the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus is caused to perform an imaging step of outputting an imaging signal and an image acquisition step of acquiring a color image of the eye to be examined based on the imaging signal.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce glare on a subject during color photography.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a scanning ophthalmologic imaging device. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method of photographing an eye to be examined. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining wide-area photography and narrow-area photography. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining combined photography using visible light and infrared light. It is a flow chart showing control operation.

<Example>
Hereinafter, one typical embodiment according to the present disclosure will be described based on the drawings. As an example, in this embodiment, a scanning ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 including a laser treatment section 70 will be described (see FIG. 1). In other words, the scanning ophthalmologic imaging device 1 of this embodiment has a configuration for scanning light to capture an image of the tissue of the eye E to be examined, and a structure for irradiating the tissue with therapeutic laser light based on the captured image. It also has the following configurations. However, it is also possible to change the configuration of the scanning ophthalmological imaging device 1. For example, the scanning ophthalmologic imaging device 1 does not need to include the laser treatment section 70. Furthermore, the configuration for scanning light to capture an image of the tissue of the eye to be examined and the configuration for irradiating the tissue with therapeutic laser light may be provided in separate housings. Further, instead of the laser treatment section 70, a fixation projection optical system for projecting a fixation target may be provided, or an OCT optical system for acquiring OCT data of the fundus may be provided.

In this embodiment, a scanning ophthalmological photographing apparatus 1 for photographing the fundus Er of the eye E to be examined is exemplified. However, even when photographing tissues other than the fundus (for example, the anterior segment of the eye), at least a portion of the techniques exemplified in this embodiment can be employed.

Referring to FIG. 1, a schematic configuration of a scanning ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described. The scanning ophthalmological imaging device 1 includes a visible light source 2, an infrared light source 3, a light projection optical system 10, a scanning section 20, an image sensor 30, a light receiving optical system 40, an optical path branching section 50, a control section 60, and a laser treatment section 70. Equipped with etc.

The visible light source 2 and the infrared light source 3 emit light (photographing light) for photographing an image of tissue. As the visible light source 2 and the infrared light source 3, for example, at least one of a laser light source, an SLD (super luminescent diode) light source, an LED, etc. can be used. A point light source may be used as the visible light source 2 and the infrared light source 3. The visible light source 2 and the infrared light source 3 of this embodiment are arranged at positions conjugate with the tissue of the eye E to be examined (pupil in this embodiment). The visible light source 2 is a light source that emits visible light. The visible light source 2 is, for example, a light source whose spectral distribution peak wavelength is in the wavelength band of visible light. The infrared light source 3 is a light source that emits infrared light (near infrared light, etc.). The infrared light source 3 is, for example, a light source whose spectral distribution peak wavelength is in the wavelength band of infrared light (invisible light). When the visible light source 2 emits visible light (white light), color photography is easily performed. When the infrared light source 3 emits infrared light, photographing without mydriasis can be easily performed.

The projection optical system 10 projects imaging light (visible light and infrared light) emitted from the visible light source 2 and the infrared light source 3 onto the fundus Er of the eye E to be examined. The light projection optical system 10 includes a dichroic mirror 4, a slit plate 11, a lens 15, and an objective lens 18 in order from the upstream side of the optical path of the photographing light (that is, from the visible light source 2 and infrared light source 3 side). In this embodiment, the lens 15 and the objective lens 18 are shared by the light projecting optical system 10 and the light receiving optical system 40. An optical path branching section 50 is provided on the optical path between the slit plate 11 and the lens 15. Furthermore, a scanning section 20 and a half mirror 17 are provided on the optical path between the lens 15 and the objective lens 18. The optical path branching section 50 and the scanning section 20 can also be considered as part of the light projection optical system 10.

The slit plate 11 blocks a part of the photographing light emitted from the visible light source 2 and the infrared light source 3, thereby converting the photographing light into a slit-shaped light beam. That is, the slit plate 11 functions as a light flux conversion element that converts photographing light into a slit-shaped light flux. The slit plate 11 is placed, for example, on the fundus conjugate position. The slit plate 11 of this embodiment has slits extending in a direction intersecting (orthogonal to in this embodiment) the scanning direction of the slit-shaped light beam by the scanning unit 20, and has a slit width in the scanning direction. The light from the slit plate 11 passes through the lens 15 and the optical path branching section 50 and enters the scanning section 20 .

Note that it is also possible to employ an optical element other than the slit plate 11 as the light flux conversion element. For example, a cylindrical lens disposed between the visible light source 2 and the infrared light source 3 and the conjugate position of the fundus may be used as the light flux conversion element, and the imaging light may be focused in a line at the conjugate position of the fundus. As a result, the illumination light is shaped into a line on the fundus Er.

The lens 15 once forms an image of the photographing light emitted from the visible light source 2 and the infrared light source 3 at the front focal position of the objective lens 18 . The lens 15 may be composed of one lens or a group of lenses.

The objective lens 18 guides the photographing light incident from the scanning section 20 to the fundus Er of the eye E to be examined. Further, the objective lens 18 returns the return light (reflected light) of the imaging light reflected by the fundus Er of the eye E to the scanning unit 20 . The objective lens 18 may be composed of one lens or a group of lenses. In this embodiment, the scanning unit 20 is placed at a position conjugate with the pupil of the eye E by the objective lens 18. The objective lens 18 is disposed downstream of the scanning unit 20 (specifically, downstream of the half mirror 17) and upstream of the eye E on the optical path of the photographing light.

The scanning unit 20 causes the imaging light projected by the light projection optical system 10 to scan over the tissue of the eye E to be examined (in this embodiment, the fundus Er). As described above, the scanning unit 20 is arranged on the common optical path of the light projecting optical system 10 and the light receiving optical system 40. The scanning unit 20 of this embodiment scans a slit-shaped light beam of photographing light in a direction intersecting (orthogonal to in this embodiment) the (length) direction of the slit. That is, the scanning unit 20 scans the slit-shaped photographing light in the width direction of the slit, for example. The scanning direction may be, for example, a vertical direction or a horizontal direction. As the element constituting the scanning unit 20, at least one of a reflecting mirror (for example, a galvano mirror, a polygon mirror, or a resonant scanner), an acousto-optic element that changes the traveling direction of light, etc. can be used. Further, the scanning unit 20 may include a plurality of elements (for example, an element that scans the photographing light in the X direction and an element that scans the photographic light in the Y direction).

The image sensor 30 receives the return light of the imaging light projected by the light projection optical system 10 and reflected by the fundus Er, and outputs an imaging signal. The image sensor 30 detects visible light and infrared light. The image sensor 30 is arranged at a position conjugate with the fundus Er of the eye E to be examined. The image sensor 30 of this embodiment is a two-dimensional image sensor that receives reflected light in the form of a slit. Note that it is also possible to change the configuration of the image sensor 30. For example, in the case of a scanning type ophthalmological imaging device that scans a spot of imaging light two-dimensionally, a dot-shaped light receiving element may be used as the image sensor 30. Further, for example, in the case of a scanning type ophthalmological imaging device that scans a line of imaging light in a one-dimensional manner, a one-dimensional light receiving element (for example, a line camera, etc.) may be used.

The light receiving optical system 40 guides the return light of the photographing light reflected by the fundus to the image sensor 30. The light receiving optical system 40 of this embodiment includes an objective lens 18, a lens 15, and a lens 41 in this order from the downstream side of the optical path of the photographing light (that is, from the eye E side to be examined). As described above, in this embodiment, the lens 15 and the objective lens 18 are shared by the light projecting optical system 10 and the light receiving optical system 40. The lens 41 forms an image on the image sensor 30 of the returned light of the photographing light reflected by the fundus of the eye E to be examined. An optical path branching section 50 is provided on the optical path between the lens 15 and the lens 41. Further, a half mirror 17 and a scanning section 20 are provided on the optical path between the objective lens 18 and the lens 15. The optical path branching section 50 and the scanning section 20 can also be considered as part of the light receiving optical system 40.

The optical path branching section 50 allows the photographing light (in this embodiment, a slit-shaped light flux) emitted from the visible light source 2 and the infrared light source 3 and projected onto the fundus by the projection optical system 10 to pass therethrough. Further, the optical path branching section 50 reflects the return light of the photographing light reflected by the fundus Er, and the return light is guided to an independent optical path of the light receiving optical system 40. Thereafter, the returned light collected by the lens 41 is irradiated onto the image sensor 30. The optical path branching section 50 may be any one of various beam splitters such as a perforated mirror and a half mirror.

Note that it is also possible to change the configuration of the optical path branching section 50. For example, the optical path branching unit 50 reflects the photographing light projected onto the fundus by the projection optical system 10, transmits the return light of the photographing light reflected by the fundus, and guides the light toward the image sensor 30. Good too.

The visible light emitted from the visible light source 2 passes through the dichroic mirror 4, and the infrared light emitted from the infrared light source 3 is reflected by the dichroic mirror 4, so that the optical paths of the visible light and infrared light are coaxial. Become. The photographing light including visible light and infrared light passes through the slit plate 11, the optical path branching section 50, and the lens 15, is deflected by the scanning section 20, and is then irradiated onto the eye E through the objective lens 18. The objective lens 18 guides photographing light to the fundus Er through an exit pupil formed in the anterior segment of the eye. According to the driving of the scanning unit 20, the photographing light is rotated at the exit pupil position. The photographing light is reflected or scattered by the fundus Er. As a result, the return light (scattered/reflected light) from the fundus of the eye is emitted from the pupil as parallel light. The return light from the fundus Er is received by the image sensor 30 via the objective lens 18, the scanning section 20, the lens 15, the optical path branching section 50, and the lens 41.

The control unit 60 performs various control processes in the scanning ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 . The control unit 60 includes a CPU 61 that is a controller that controls control, and a storage unit 62 that can store programs, data, and the like. The storage unit 62 stores an ophthalmological imaging program and the like for executing imaging of the subject's eye. Note that the number of control units and controllers is not limited to one. For example, a control section for controlling image capturing and a control section for controlling laser treatment by the laser treatment section 70 may cooperate to perform the processing. For example, a display section 65 and an operation section 66 are connected to the control section 60. The display unit 65 displays images etc. acquired by the image sensor 30. The operation unit 66 receives an operation from the examiner and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the operation to the control unit 60. The operation unit 60 is, for example, various user interfaces such as a mouse, a touch panel, a joystick, or a keyboard.

The laser treatment section 70 includes a treatment light source 71, an aiming light source 72, a focus adjustment section 73, and a treatment light scanning section 74. The treatment light source 71 emits treatment laser light. The aiming light source 72 emits aiming light that indicates the irradiation state (for example, the spot size and focus of the treatment laser beam) of the treatment laser beam that is irradiated onto the fundus of the eye. The optical axis of the treatment laser beam and the optical axis of the aiming beam are coaxial. The focus adjustment unit 73 adjusts the focus of the treatment laser beam and the aiming light on the tissue of the eye E to be examined (in this example, the fundus). The focus adjustment section 73 can employ, for example, a configuration in which a focusing lens is moved in the optical axis direction. The treatment light scanning unit 74 scans the fundus with treatment laser light and aiming light. In this embodiment, the treatment laser beam and the aiming beam are reflected by the half mirror 17 and irradiated onto the fundus of the eye. Further, a part of the aiming light reflected by the fundus Er passes through the half mirror 17 and is guided to the image sensor 30.

<Wide area color shooting>
A control operation when capturing a wide-area color fundus image with the scanning ophthalmologic imaging device 1 will be described. When photographing a wide-area color fundus image, the control unit 60 causes the scanning unit 20 to scan a slit-shaped visible light on the fundus Er. The returned visible light reflected by the fundus Er is received by the light receiving optical system 40 (and the scanning unit 20) and detected by the image sensor 30. The image sensor 30 outputs an image signal to the control section 60. The control unit 60 acquires a slit-shaped two-dimensional image based on the imaging signal output by the imaging device 30 (see FIG. 2). The image sensor 30 acquires images of a plurality of frames in different photographing areas by detecting reflected light at a period corresponding to the scanning of the scanning unit 20. The control unit 60 generates one wide-area color fundus image P1 by arranging the plurality of frames of images in the order of scanning.

The wide-area color fundus image P1 is photographed by scanning a wide area of the fundus with a strong amount of visible light, which makes the examinee feel dazzled and burdensome. In particular, in video shooting, it is necessary to repeatedly irradiate the fundus of the eye with a strong amount of visible light for a long period of time, which places a heavy burden on the subject.

<Narrow area color shooting>
The scanning ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 of this embodiment can capture a narrow-area color fundus image in addition to the wide-area color fundus image P1. When photographing a narrow-area color fundus image, the control unit 60 performs narrow-area scanning by making the visible light scanning area (angle of view) narrower than during wide-area color photography (wide-area scanning). For example, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the control unit 60 limits the scanning area to a part (for example, one-third of the scanning distance b) (see FIG. 3(b)). This prevents visible light from hitting areas that do not need to be observed, making it difficult for the subject to feel glare.

Further, the control unit 60 may change the exposure time of the imaging element 30 in accordance with the switching of the scanning area. For example, if it takes T seconds to take wide-area color photography at a scanning distance b, and when performing narrow-area color photography by switching the scanning distance to 1/n (for example, 1/3), the control unit 60 controls the exposure time to n It may be doubled (for example, tripled). In this way, the control unit 60 can obtain a narrow-area color fundus image P2 with higher brightness than the wide-area color fundus image P1 in the same imaging time T seconds by increasing the exposure time as the scanning area becomes smaller. Note that the control unit 60 may reduce the amount of light when the scanning distance is reduced to 1/n and the exposure time is multiplied by n. For example, the control unit 60 may reduce the amount of light to 1/n. This makes it possible to suppress glare on the subject without changing the imaging time (imaging speed) and image brightness.

Further, the control unit 60 may obtain a plurality of narrow-area color fundus images P2 in narrow-area color photography, and generate an additive color image by performing addition processing on these images. For example, as shown in FIG. 3(c), the control unit 60 acquires a plurality of narrow-area color fundus images P2 (P21, P22, P23) with the same exposure time and a scanning distance that is one-third that of wide-area color photography. However, by performing addition processing on these narrow-area color fundus images P2, a narrow-area additive color image P3 may be obtained. In this case, the control unit 60 may change the number of images to be added in accordance with the switching of the scanning area. For example, the control unit 60 may change the number of sheets to be added to n sheets (for example, 3 sheets) when performing narrow-area scanning with a scanning distance of 1/n (for example, 1/3) of wide-area scanning. . In this way, the control unit 60 can obtain a narrow-area color fundus image P3 with higher brightness than the wide-area color fundus image P1 in the same imaging time T seconds by increasing the number of images to be added as the scanning area becomes smaller. Note that the control unit 60 may reduce the light amount when adding n images with the same exposure time by reducing the scanning area to 1/n. For example, the control unit 60 may reduce the amount of light to 1/n. This makes it possible to suppress glare on the subject without changing the imaging time (imaging speed) and image brightness.

As described above, by making the scanning area smaller and increasing the exposure time for the same shooting time, or by taking and adding more images, sufficient brightness can be achieved while reducing glare for the subject. Color photography can be performed.

<Combined photography using visible light and infrared light>
Next, a photographing method using both visible light and infrared light will be explained. In the above explanation, only visible light was used to obtain a color fundus image, but by irradiating visible light and infrared light to the eye E at the same time, it is possible to increase the brightness of the image while suppressing glare. can.

For example, the control unit 60 independently controls the light emission time or the light emission timing of the visible light source 2 and the infrared light source 3, so that the visible light is scanned in a narrow area while the infrared light is scanned in a wide area. You can also do this. For example, when scanning with a slit-shaped photographing light as shown in FIG. Illuminate external light. On the other hand, the control unit 60 turns off the visible light source 2 up to the regions K1 and K2, turns on the visible light source 2 only in the region K3, and then turns off the visible light source 2 again in the regions K4, K5, and K6 (FIG. 4(b) )reference). In other words, regions K1 and K2 are irradiated with only infrared light, region K3 is irradiated with both infrared light and visible light, and regions K4, K5, and K6 are irradiated with only infrared light (Fig. 4(c) )reference). Thereby, the control unit 60 can acquire a color fundus image in a part of the region K3, and can acquire an infrared fundus image in the entire region K1 to K6. In this way, the control unit 60 uses both infrared light and visible light to capture a narrow-area color fundus image that shows the irradiation area (treatment area), while also capturing the entire fundus (scanning area). It is also possible to obtain a wide-area infrared fundus image. Note that in the region K3 where both infrared light and visible light are irradiated, the amount of infrared light may be smaller than in the region where only infrared light is irradiated.

Note that when visible light and infrared light are irradiated, the subject's glare is the same as when only visible light is used, but the brightness of the image can be increased by irradiating infrared light, which makes control easier. The unit 60 may reduce the amount of visible light. Thereby, the control unit 60 can obtain a color fundus image with sufficient brightness while reducing the burden on the subject using a lower amount of visible light than when photographing using only visible light.

<Control operation>
Next, an example of the control operation of the scanning ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 will be described using the flowchart of FIG.

(Step S1: Alignment)
First, the control unit 60 adjusts (aligns) the positional relationship of the laser treatment unit 70 with respect to the eye to be examined (patient's eye) using a drive unit (not shown). For example, the control unit 60 controls the drive unit based on the examiner's operation on the operation unit 66.

(Step S2: Wide area color photography)
As described above, the control unit 60 scans the entire scanning region with visible light to capture a wide-area color fundus image P1 of the eye to be examined. The control unit 60 causes the display unit 65 to display the acquired wide-area color fundus image P1.

(Step S3: Setting the irradiation position)
The examiner (operator) operates the operation unit 66 while checking the wide-area color fundus image P1 displayed on the display unit 65 to set the irradiation position of the treatment laser beam. At this time, the examiner may set a prohibited area for irradiation with the therapeutic laser beam. In addition to setting the irradiation position, the examiner may also set the visible light scanning area for photographing the narrow-area color fundus image P2.

(Step S4: Narrow area color photography)
The control unit 60 switches from wide-area color photography to narrow-area color photography. In narrow-area color photography, a color fundus image is captured by scanning only a part of the scanning area with visible light, as described above. For example, the control unit 60 irradiates the scanning area including the irradiation position set in step S3 with visible light, and performs imaging without irradiating the other scanning areas with visible light. Note that, in step S3, if a scanning area for photographing a narrow-area color fundus image is set, the control unit 60 performs photographing by irradiating only the set scanning area with visible light. The control unit 60 shoots narrow-area color fundus images (videos) until the treatment is finished, and causes the display unit 65 to sequentially display the acquired images in real time.

(Step S5: Irradiation of therapeutic laser light)
The control unit 60 causes the laser treatment unit 70 to irradiate the eye to be examined with aiming light. The examiner starts irradiation of the therapeutic laser beam while finally confirming the irradiation position using the aiming light reflected in the moving image of the narrow-area color fundus image P2 displayed on the display unit 65. The control unit 60 performs tracking based on the narrow-area color fundus image P2 acquired by the image sensor 30, and irradiates the set irradiation position on the fundus with a therapeutic laser beam. The examiner can check the appearance of the irradiated site during or after laser irradiation by viewing the narrow-area color fundus image P2 displayed on the display unit 65.

As described above, the scanning ophthalmological imaging device 1 of the present embodiment switches visible light scanning between wide-area scanning and narrow-area scanning, thereby suppressing glare and reducing the burden on the subject, while reducing the burden on the subject's eye. It is possible to obtain color fundus images necessary for observation. Therefore, for example, in color photography of a single image rather than a moving image, the irradiation time is short even with a high light intensity, and the burden on the subject is relatively small, making it possible to observe the entire fundus of the eye through wide-area color photography. In addition, during observation during laser treatment, it is only necessary to observe in real time only the areas to be irradiated with the treatment laser beam, such as capillary aneurysms and coagulated plaques, using color video, so narrow-area color imaging reduces glare for the patient. It is possible to take pictures. Furthermore, by switching the scanning area to a narrow area, the scanning ophthalmological imaging device 1 of this embodiment can extend the exposure time or take multiple images and add them together without reducing the imaging speed. It is possible to take pictures with less glare on the subject. By not reducing the shooting speed, the possibility of image deterioration due to eye movement can be reduced.

In addition, when photographing the narrow-range color fundus image P2 in step S4, a combination of visible light and infrared light may be used for photographing as described above. For example, the control unit 60 may scan with infrared light in a wide scanning area to capture an infrared fundus image, and may scan with both visible light and infrared light in a narrow scanning area. Increasing the amount of visible light irradiated to the eye to be examined in order to increase the brightness of the image increases the burden on the examinee, but infrared light causes almost no glare, so the burden on the examinee is small. . Therefore, by photographing using both visible light and infrared light, it is possible to increase the brightness of a color image without placing a large burden on the subject. Moreover, the control unit 60 can perform more stable laser irradiation by using a wide-area infrared fundus image acquired in a wide-area scanning area other than the irradiation site for tracking.

Note that the hue of a color fundus image when both visible light and infrared light are irradiated is slightly different from a color fundus image using only visible light, but the brightness may be adjusted to confirm and track tissue changes during laser irradiation. This is useful if you want to quickly capture large images.

<Transformation example>
Note that when photographing the fundus using both infrared light and visible light, the scanning ophthalmologic imaging device 1 includes two imaging devices: an imaging device that receives infrared light and an imaging device that receives visible light. It's okay. In this case, by performing addition processing on the infrared fundus image and the color fundus image obtained by the two image sensors, a fundus image with high brightness can be obtained. Further, the control unit 60 can separately acquire an infrared fundus image using infrared light and a color fundus image using visible light.

In addition, in the above embodiment, visible light and infrared light were scanned against the subject's eye by the common scanning unit 20 disposed on the common optical path of the visible light source 2 and the infrared light source 3, but the present invention is not limited to this. . For example, the scanning ophthalmologic imaging device 1 may include two scanning sections, and the visible light and infrared light may be scanned by separate scanning sections. In this case, the control unit 60 not only controls the light emission time or the light emission timing of the visible light source 2 and the infrared light source 3, but also controls the two scanning units independently to scan visible light in a narrow range. , the infrared light may be scanned over a wide area.

Note that in the above description, only a part of the entire scanning area was photographed using both visible light and infrared light, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, imaging may be performed using both visible light and infrared light in the entire scanning area. In this case, since the amount of light can be ensured by infrared light, the amount of visible light may be reduced. As a result, a color image of the entire scanning area can be obtained with low light intensity while reducing the burden on the subject.

In the flowchart of FIG. 5, the wide-area color fundus image P1 may be photographed again after the laser treatment is performed in step S5. As a result, color fundus images of the entire fundus before and after laser treatment can be obtained while reducing the burden on the subject through narrow-area imaging during laser treatment, making it easy to compare the condition of the fundus before and after treatment.

Note that in the above embodiments, the control unit 60 functions as an image generation unit that generates an image based on the imaging signal acquired by the image sensor 30, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the control unit 60 may function as an image acquisition unit that acquires an image generated by another (external) control unit based on the imaging signal acquired by the image sensor 30.

1 Scanning ophthalmological imaging device 2 Visible light source 3 Infrared light source 4 Dichroic mirror 10 Light projecting optical system 20 Scanning section 30 Image sensor 40 Light receiving optical system 50 Optical path branching section 60 Control section 70 Laser treatment section

Claims (10)

An ophthalmological photographing device for photographing an eye to be examined,
a visible light source that emits visible light;
a light projection optical system that projects the visible light onto the eye to be examined;
scanning means for scanning the visible light projected by the light projection optical system with respect to the eye to be examined;
a light receiving optical system that receives the visible light reflected by the eye to be examined;
an image sensor that detects the visible light received by the light receiving optical system and outputs an imaging signal;
image acquisition means for acquiring a color image of the eye to be examined based on the imaging signal;
Control means for controlling the scanning means and switching the scanning area between wide area scanning in which the visible light is scanned over a wide area and narrow area scanning in which the visible light is scanned in a narrower area than the wide area scanning. An ophthalmological imaging device featuring: The light projection optical system projects the visible light in a slit shape,
The ophthalmologic photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scanning means scans the slit-shaped visible light with respect to the eye to be examined. The ophthalmologic photographing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control means changes the exposure time of the image sensor in accordance with switching of the scanning area. The image acquisition means acquires an additive color image generated by performing addition processing on the plurality of color images,
3. The ophthalmologic photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means changes the number of color images to be added to be subjected to the addition process in accordance with switching of the scanning area. It is further equipped with an infrared light source that emits infrared light,
The light projection optical system projects the visible light and the infrared light onto the eye to be examined;
The scanning means scans the eye to be examined with the visible light and the infrared light,
The light receiving optical system receives the visible light and the infrared light reflected by the eye to be examined,
The ophthalmologic photographing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the imaging element detects the visible light and the infrared light and outputs the imaging signal. 6. The ophthalmologic photographing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control means independently controls light emission time or light emission timing of the visible light source and the infrared light source. The ophthalmologic photographing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control means causes the infrared light to scan the wide area and causes the visible light to scan the narrow area. An ophthalmological photographing device for photographing an eye to be examined,
a visible light source that emits visible light;
an infrared light source that emits infrared light;
a light projection optical system that projects the visible light and the infrared light onto the eye to be examined;
scanning means for scanning the eye to be examined with the visible light and the infrared light projected by the light projection optical system;
a light receiving optical system that receives the visible light and the infrared light reflected by the eye to be examined;
an image sensor that detects the visible light and the infrared light received by the light receiving optical system and outputs an imaging signal;
An ophthalmologic photographing apparatus comprising: an image acquisition unit that acquires a color image of the eye to be examined based on the imaging signal. An ophthalmological photographing program executed in an ophthalmological photographing apparatus that photographs a subject's eye, the program being executed by a control means of the ophthalmological photographing apparatus,
a scanning step of scanning the eye to be examined with visible light emitted from a visible light source and projected by a projection optical system;
an imaging step of detecting the visible light reflected by the eye to be examined and received by the light receiving optical system and outputting an imaging signal;
an image acquisition step of acquiring a color image of the eye to be examined based on the imaging signal;
In the scanning step, a control step of switching the scanning area between wide area scanning in which the visible light is scanned over a wide area and narrow area scanning in which the visible light is scanned in a narrow area narrower than the wide area; An ophthalmology imaging program characterized by being executed. An ophthalmological photographing program executed in an ophthalmological photographing apparatus that photographs a subject's eye, the program being executed by a control means of the ophthalmological photographing apparatus,
a scanning step of scanning the eye to be examined with visible light and infrared light emitted from a visible light source and an infrared light source and projected by a projection optical system;
an imaging step of detecting the visible light and the infrared light reflected by the eye to be examined and received by the light receiving optical system and outputting an imaging signal;
an image acquisition step of acquiring a color image of the eye to be examined based on the imaging signal;
An ophthalmologic imaging program that causes the ophthalmologic imaging device to execute the following.