JP5095167B2 - Fundus observation apparatus, fundus image display apparatus, and fundus observation program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fundus observation device, a fundus image display device, and a fundus observation program used for observing the state of the fundus of a subject's eye.

  Conventionally, fundus cameras have been widely used as fundus oculi observation devices. FIG. 23 shows an example of the external configuration of a conventional general fundus camera, and FIG. 24 shows an example of the configuration of an optical system incorporated therein (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Note that “observation” includes at least the case of observing a photographed image of the fundus (others may include fundus observation with the naked eye).

  First, the external configuration of a conventional fundus camera 1000 will be described with reference to FIG. The fundus camera 1000 includes a gantry 3 mounted on a base 2 so as to be slidable in the front-rear and left-right directions (horizontal direction). The gantry 3 is provided with an operation panel and a joystick 4 for the examiner to perform various operations.

  The examiner can freely move the gantry 3 on the base 2 by operating the joystick 4. On the top of the joystick 4, an operation button 4a that is pressed to request execution of fundus imaging is disposed.

  A support column 5 is erected on the base 2. The support column 5 has a chin rest 6 on which the subject's jaw is placed and an external fixation that is a light source for fixing the eye E to be examined. A viewing lamp 7 is provided.

  On the gantry 3, a main body 8 that stores various optical systems and control systems of the fundus camera 1000 is mounted. The control system may be provided inside the base 2 or the gantry 3 or may be provided in an external device such as a computer connected to the fundus camera 1000.

  An objective lens unit 8a is provided on the eye E side of the main body unit 8 so as to face the eye E, and an eyepiece unit 8b is provided on the examiner side.

  The main body 8 is connected to a still camera 9 for capturing a still image of the fundus of the eye E and an imaging device 10 such as a television camera for capturing a still image or a moving image of the fundus. Yes. The still camera 9 and the imaging device 10 are detachably attached to the main body 8.

  As the still camera 9, a digital camera equipped with a CCD, a film camera, an instant camera, or the like can be used as appropriate according to various conditions such as the purpose of inspection and the method of storing a captured image. The main body portion 8 is provided with a mounting portion 8c for mounting such a still camera 9 in a replaceable manner.

  When the still camera 9 and the imaging device 10 are of a digital imaging system, the image data can be transmitted and stored in an image recording device such as a computer connected to the fundus camera 1000.

  Further, a touch panel monitor 11 is provided on the examiner side of the main body 8. On the touch panel monitor 11, a fundus image of the eye E to be inspected created based on a video signal output from the (digital type) still camera 9 or the imaging device 10 is displayed. The touch panel monitor 11 displays an xy coordinate system with the center of the screen as the origin on the fundus image. When the examiner touches the screen, the coordinate value corresponding to the touched position is displayed. Is displayed.

  Next, the configuration of the optical system of the fundus camera 1000 will be described with reference to FIG. The fundus camera 1000 is provided with an illumination optical system 100 that illuminates the fundus oculi Ef of the eye E, and an imaging optical system 120 that guides the fundus reflection light of the illumination light to the eyepiece unit 8b, the still camera 9, and the imaging device 10. It has been.

  The illumination optical system 100 includes a halogen lamp 101, a condenser lens 102, a xenon lamp 103, a condenser lens 104, exciter filters 105 and 106, a ring translucent plate 107, a mirror 108, a liquid crystal display 109, an illumination diaphragm 110, a relay lens 111, A perforated mirror 112 and an objective lens 113 are included.

  The halogen lamp 101 is an observation light source that emits steady light. The condenser lens 102 is an optical element that collects steady light (observation illumination light) emitted from the halogen lamp 101 and irradiates the eye E (fundus Ef) with the observation illumination light evenly.

  The xenon lamp 103 is a photographing light source that emits flash when photographing the fundus oculi Ef. The condenser lens 104 is an optical element that collects flash light (imaging illumination light) emitted from the xenon lamp 103 and uniformly irradiates the fundus oculi Ef with the illumination light.

  The exciter filters 105 and 106 are filters used when performing fluorescence imaging of a fundus image of the fundus oculi Ef. Each of the exciter filters 105 and 106 can be inserted into and removed from the optical path by a drive mechanism such as a solenoid. The exciter filter 105 is disposed on the optical path during FAG (fluorescein fluorescence imaging) imaging. On the other hand, the exciter filter 106 is disposed on the optical path during ICG (Indocyanine Green Fluorescence Imaging) imaging. Note that the exciter filters 105 and 106 are both retracted from the optical path during color photographing.

  The ring translucent plate 107 is disposed at a position conjugate with the pupil of the eye E to be examined, and includes a ring translucent portion 107 a centering on the optical axis of the illumination optical system 100. The mirror 108 reflects the illumination light emitted from the halogen lamp 101 and the xenon lamp 103 in the optical axis direction of the photographing optical system 120. The liquid crystal display 109 displays a fixation target (not shown) for fixing the eye E to be examined.

  The illumination stop 110 is a stop member that blocks part of the illumination light for preventing flare and the like. The illumination stop 110 is configured to be movable in the direction of the optical axis of the illumination optical system 100, so that the illumination area of the fundus oculi Ef can be changed.

  The aperture mirror 112 is an optical element that combines the optical axis of the illumination optical system 100 and the optical axis of the photographing optical system 120. A hole 112 a is opened in the center region of the perforated mirror 112. The optical axis of the illumination optical system 100 and the optical axis of the photographing optical system 120 intersect at a substantially central position of the hole 112a. The objective lens 113 is provided in the objective lens portion 8 a of the main body portion 8.

  The illumination optical system 100 having such a configuration illuminates the fundus oculi Ef in the following manner. First, during fundus observation, the halogen lamp 101 is turned on and observation illumination light is output. This observation illumination light irradiates the ring translucent plate 107 through the condenser lenses 102 and 104. The light that has passed through the ring transparent portion 107 a of the ring transparent plate 107 is reflected by the mirror 108, passes through the liquid crystal display 109, the illumination stop 110, and the relay lens 111, and then the light of the photographing optical system 120 by the aperture mirror 112. The light is reflected along the axial direction, converged by the objective lens 113, enters the eye E, and illuminates the fundus oculi Ef.

  At this time, since the ring translucent plate 107 is disposed at a position conjugate to the pupil of the eye E, a ring-shaped image of observation illumination light incident on the eye E is formed on the pupil. The fundus reflection light of the incident observation illumination light is emitted from the eye E through the central dark part of the ring image on the pupil.

  On the other hand, when photographing the fundus oculi Ef, the xenon lamp 103 is flashed, and photographing illumination light is irradiated onto the fundus oculi Ef through a similar route. In the case of fluorescence photography, the exciter filter 105 or 106 is selectively placed on the optical path depending on whether FAG photography or ICG photography.

  The photographing optical system 120 includes an objective lens 113, a perforated mirror 112 (hole 112a), a photographing aperture 121, barrier filters 122 and 123, a variable power lens 124, a relay lens 125, a photographing lens 126, and a quick return mirror 127. And the imaging medium 9a. The shooting medium 9a is a shooting medium (CCD, camera film, instant film, etc.) of the still camera 9.

  The fundus reflection light of the illumination light emitted through the central dark portion of the ring-shaped image formed on the pupil of the eye E enters the photographing aperture 121 through the hole 112a of the aperture mirror 112. The perforated mirror 112 reflects the corneal reflection light of the illumination light and acts so as not to mix the corneal reflection light into the fundus reflection light incident on the photographing aperture 121. Thereby, the occurrence of flare in the observed image or the captured image is suppressed.

  The photographing aperture 121 is a plate-like member in which a plurality of circular translucent portions having different sizes are formed. The plurality of light-transmitting portions constitute diaphragms having different aperture values (F values), and the light-transmitting portions are alternatively arranged on the optical path by a driving mechanism (not shown).

  The barrier filters 122 and 123 can be inserted into and removed from the optical path by a drive mechanism such as a solenoid. The barrier filter 122 is disposed on the optical path during FAG imaging, and the barrier filter 123 is inserted on the optical path during ICG imaging. Further, at the time of color photographing, both the barrier filters 122 and 123 are retracted from the optical path.

  The variable magnification lens 124 can be moved in the optical axis direction of the photographing optical system 120 by a driving mechanism (not shown). Thereby, it is possible to change the observation magnification and the imaging magnification, focus the fundus image, and the like. The photographing lens 126 is a lens that forms an image of fundus reflected light from the eye E on the photographing medium 9a.

  The quick return mirror 127 is rotatably provided around the rotation shaft 127a by a driving mechanism (not shown). When photographing the fundus oculi Ef with the still camera 9, the fundus reflected light is guided to the photographing medium 9a by jumping up the quick return mirror 127 obliquely provided on the optical path. On the other hand, the quick return mirror 127 is obliquely arranged on the optical path so as to reflect the fundus reflected light upward when photographing the fundus with the imaging apparatus 10 or observing the fundus with the examiner's naked eye. .

  The photographing optical system 120 further includes a field lens (field lens) 128, a switching mirror 129, an eyepiece lens 130, a relay lens 131, a reflection mirror 132, for guiding the fundus reflection light reflected by the quick return mirror 127. A photographing lens 133 and an image sensor 10a are provided. The imaging element 10 a is an imaging element such as a CCD built in the imaging apparatus 10. On the touch panel monitor 11, a fundus oculi image Ef ′ photographed by the image sensor 10a is displayed.

  As with the quick return mirror 127, the switching mirror 129 is rotatable around the rotation shaft 129a. The switching mirror 129 is obliquely provided on the optical path during observation with the naked eye, and reflects the fundus reflection light and guides it to the eyepiece 130.

  When the fundus image is captured by the imaging device 10, the switching mirror 129 is retracted from the optical path. The fundus reflection light is imaged on the image sensor 10 a via the relay lens 131, the mirror 132, and the photographing lens 133, and the fundus image Ef ′ is displayed on the touch panel monitor 11.

  Such a fundus camera 1000 is a fundus oculi observation device used for observing the surface of the fundus oculi Ef, that is, the state of the retina surface. On the other hand, there are tissues such as the choroid and sclera in the deep layer of the retina. In recent years, devices for observing these deep tissues have been put into practical use (see, for example, Patent Documents 2, 3, and 4).

  The fundus oculi observation device disclosed in Patent Literatures 2, 3, and 4 is a device (referred to as an optical image measurement device, an optical coherence topography device, or the like) to which so-called OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) technology is applied. Such a fundus oculi observation device bisects low-coherence light, guides one (signal light) to the fundus, guides the other (reference light) to a predetermined reference object, and transmits the signal light via the fundus and the reference object. The apparatus forms a tomographic image of the surface of the fundus and the deep tissue based on the interference light obtained by superimposing the reflected reference light.

  The fundus oculi observation device disclosed in Patent Document 4 has a function of presenting the thickness of the fundus oculi layer in a quadrant. Information on the thickness of the fundus layer (for example, the thickness of the nerve fiber layer) is very meaningful information in ophthalmic practice, and is widely referred to in diagnosis of the fundus.

JP 2004-350849 A JP 2003-543 A Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-52195 Special table 2004-50483

  By the way, in order to grasp in detail the state of the fundus (presence / absence or progress of disease, degree of treatment effect, recovery state, etc.), the state of the fundus surface (retinal surface) and the deep structure of the fundus (the deep structure of the retina) , Choroid, sclera, etc.) may be desirable. However, it is difficult to grasp the detailed state of the deep tissue only by observing the image obtained by the fundus camera, while the image obtained by the optical image measuring device grasps the detailed state of the entire retina surface. It was difficult to do.

  Further, in order to comprehensively determine the state of the fundus, it is desirable to determine the medical condition and the like in consideration of both the state of the fundus surface and the state of the deep tissue.

  In order to enable such examination, it is necessary to present an image obtained by a fundus camera and an image obtained by an optical image measurement device in a display mode that can be compared with each other. For example, it is desirable to facilitate comparison by presenting both images simultaneously.

  In addition, it is desirable to employ a display mode in which the mutual relationship between the image from the fundus camera and the image from the optical image measurement device can be easily grasped so that the comparison operation can be performed easily.

  In particular, when an attention site such as a diseased part is specified in one image, there are many cases where it is desired to grasp the state of the attention site in more detail with reference to the state of the attention site in the other image.

  However, in the conventional fundus oculi observation device, the mutual positional relationship between the two-dimensional image of the surface of the fundus oculi to be examined by the fundus camera and the tomographic image of the fundus oculi by the optical image measurement device cannot be easily grasped. It was difficult to grasp the state of

  In addition, the fundus oculi observation device of Patent Document 4 averages the thickness of the fundus layer for each predetermined region and presents it in a mosaic quadrant, and provides fundus layer thickness information provided. Therefore, it is difficult to grasp the thickness of the fundus layer in detail. In particular, when there is a diseased part smaller than one partial region of the quadrant, there is a risk that a change in the thickness of the fundus layer due to this disease may be missed.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and a fundus oculi observation device and fundus image capable of grasping in detail both the state of the fundus surface of the eye to be examined and the state of the deep tissue. It is an object to provide a display device and a fundus observation program.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a fundus oculi observation device, a fundus oculi image display device, and a fundus oculi observation program capable of measuring the thickness of the fundus oculi layer with high accuracy.

To achieve the above object, the first aspect of the present invention provides a first image that optically acquires data and forms a two-dimensional image of the surface of the fundus of the eye to be examined based on the acquired data. Forming means, second image forming means for optically acquiring data, and forming a tomographic image of the fundus oculi based on the acquired data, display means, operating means, and first image forming The 2D image formed by the first image forming unit and displayed on the display unit after the two-dimensional image is formed by the unit and the tomographic image is formed by the second image forming unit. When an image area on the dimensional image is designated by the operation means, a tomographic image having a cross section corresponding to the designated image area is formed based on the tomographic image formed by the second image forming means. And the shape The side by side and image processing means for determining the position of the fundus of a given layer in the tomographic image, a tomographic image formed by said first of said 2-dimensional image formed by the image forming means the image processing means Display on the display means, display the specified position information indicating the specified image area superimposed on the two-dimensional image, and display the obtained layer position information indicating the position of the predetermined layer superimposed on the tomographic image A fundus oculi observation device comprising a control means.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the fundus oculi observation device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing means uses a boundary position between adjacent layers of the fundus as the position of the predetermined layer of the fundus. In addition, the control means is characterized in that a linear image indicating the obtained boundary position is superimposed and displayed on the tomographic image as the layer position information.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the fundus oculi observation device according to claim 2, wherein the image processing means calculates a pixel value of a tomographic image having a cross section corresponding to the designated image region. By analyzing along the depth direction, the boundary position of the adjacent layer is obtained.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the fundus oculi observation device according to the first aspect, the image processing means may be operated by the operating means based on the determined position of the predetermined layer of the fundus. Fundus thickness calculating means for calculating the thickness of a predetermined part of the fundus at each position of the designated image region on the two-dimensional image is provided.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the fundus oculi observation device according to claim 4, wherein the image processing means uses a boundary position between adjacent layers of the fundus as the position of the predetermined layer of the fundus. Determining at least two, and the fundus thickness calculating means calculates a thickness of a predetermined part of the fundus by calculating a distance between two of the determined at least two boundary positions. It is characterized by.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the fundus oculi observation device according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the control means is configured to perform the specified operation based on a calculation result by the fundus thickness calculation means. The fundus thickness graph information indicating the thickness of the predetermined part of the fundus at each position of the image region on the two-dimensional image is displayed on the display means.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the fundus oculi observation device according to claim 6, wherein the control means superimposes the two-dimensional image on which the designated position information is superimposed and the layer position information. The displayed tomographic information and fundus thickness graph information are displayed side by side on the display means.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the fundus oculi observation device according to claim 4, wherein the fundus thickness calculation means is configured such that the display position of the layer position information displayed on the display means is determined by the operation means. When changed, the thickness of the predetermined part of the fundus is calculated based on the position of the predetermined layer of the fundus indicated by the layer position information after the change.

  The invention according to claim 9 is the fundus oculi observation device according to claim 8, wherein the control means is specified by the operation means based on a calculation result by the fundus thickness calculation means. It is characterized in that fundus thickness graph information indicating the thickness of a predetermined part of the fundus at each position of an image region on a three-dimensional image is displayed on the display means.

  The invention according to claim 10 is the fundus oculi observation device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first image forming unit irradiates the fundus with illumination light. A fundus camera comprising: an illumination optical system; and a photographing optical system that receives fundus reflection light of the irradiated illumination light, and forms a two-dimensional image of the surface of the fundus based on the received fundus reflection light It is characterized by that.

  The invention according to claim 11 is the fundus oculi observation device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the second image forming means is output from a light source and the light source. Is divided into signal light traveling toward the fundus and reference light traveling toward the reference object, and interference light is generated by superimposing the signal light passing through the fundus and the reference light reflected by the reference object. Interference light generation means, scanning means for scanning the irradiation position of the signal light on the fundus, detection means for receiving the generated interference light based on the scanned signal light and outputting a detection signal; And an optical image measurement device that forms a tomographic image of the fundus oculi based on the detection signal output in response to the scanning.

The invention according to claim 1 2, a storage means for storing the 2-dimensional image and the fundus tomographic image of the fundus oculi surface of the eye, and said tomographic image and the two-dimensional image the storage A fundus image display device comprising a display means for displaying and an operation means, wherein when the image area on the two-dimensional image displayed on the display means is designated by the operation means, the storage means Image processing means for forming a tomographic image having a cross section corresponding to the designated image area based on the stored tomographic image and obtaining a position of a predetermined layer of the fundus in the formed tomographic image; The two-dimensional image stored in the storage means and the tomographic image formed by the image processing means are displayed side by side on the display means, and designated position information indicating the designated image area is displayed on the two-dimensional image. A fundus image display device comprising: a control unit that superimposes and displays on a tomographic image, and superimposes and displays layer position information indicating the obtained position of the predetermined layer on the tomographic image .

The invention according to claim 1 3, storage means for storing the 2-dimensional image and the fundus tomographic image of the fundus oculi surface of the eye, and said tomographic image and the two-dimensional image the storage A computer having a display means for displaying and an operation means is arranged to store the tomogram stored in the storage means when an image area on the two-dimensional image displayed on the display means is designated by the operation means. Based on the image, a tomographic image having a cross section corresponding to the designated image region is formed, and the memory functioning as an image processing means for obtaining a position of a predetermined layer of the fundus in the formed tomographic image is stored. The two-dimensional image stored in the means and the tomographic image formed by the image processing means are displayed side by side on the display means, and the designated position information indicating the designated image area is displayed in the two-dimensional form. The fundus oculi observation program is characterized in that it is superimposed on an image and functions as a control means for superimposing and displaying the obtained layer position information indicating the position of the predetermined layer on the tomographic image .

  The fundus oculi observation device according to the present invention optically acquires data, and based on the acquired data, first image forming means for forming a two-dimensional image of the fundus surface of the eye to be examined, and optically data And a second image forming unit that forms a tomographic image of the fundus oculi based on the acquired data, a display unit, an operating unit, and a first image forming unit and displayed on the display unit. When an image area on the two-dimensional image is designated by the operation means, a tomographic image having a cross section corresponding to the designated image area is formed based on the tomographic image formed by the second image forming means. In addition, image processing means for obtaining the position of a predetermined layer of the fundus in the formed tomographic image, two-dimensional image formed by the first image forming means, designated position information indicating the designated image area, and image processing And a control means for displaying on the display unit side by side a layer position information indicating a position of a predetermined layer tomographic images and the obtained formed by means.

  According to such a fundus oculi observation device, the examiner determines the fundus image, the tomographic image, the position of the tomographic image on the fundus image (specified position information), and the position of the predetermined layer (layer position information) on the fundus image. It becomes possible to grasp, and both the state of the surface of the fundus and the state of the deep tissue can be observed and grasped in detail.

  The fundus oculi observation device of the present invention optically acquires data, and optically acquires a first image forming unit that forms a two-dimensional image of the fundus surface of the eye to be examined based on the acquired data. Data is acquired and formed on the display means by the second image forming means for forming a tomographic image of the fundus oculi based on the acquired data, the display means, the operating means, and the first image forming means. When an image area on the two-dimensional image is designated by the operation means, a tomographic image having a cross section corresponding to the designated image area is formed based on the tomographic image formed by the second image forming means. Then, the position of the predetermined layer of the fundus in the formed tomographic image is obtained, and the thickness of the predetermined part of the fundus at each position of the designated image region is calculated based on the position of the predetermined layer of the fundus determined Image processing means Based on this calculation result, and a control means for displaying on the display unit of the fundus thickness graph information indicating the thickness of the predetermined portion of the fundus at each position of the designated image region.

  According to such a fundus oculi observation device, the thickness of the fundus thickness graph information can be displayed by calculating the thickness of the fundus thickness for each position of the designated image region. Compared with the conventional configuration presented in a quadrant, it is possible to measure the thickness of a predetermined part of the fundus with high accuracy and present it to the examiner.

  Further, the fundus image display apparatus according to the present invention includes a storage unit that stores a two-dimensional image of the surface of the fundus of the eye to be examined and a tomographic image of the fundus, and a display unit that displays the stored two-dimensional image and the tomographic image. And a cross section corresponding to the designated image area based on the tomographic image stored in the storage means when the operation means and the image area on the two-dimensional image displayed on the display means are designated by the operation means. An image processing means for obtaining a position of a predetermined layer of the fundus in the formed tomographic image, a two-dimensional image stored in the storage means, and designated position information indicating a designated image region; And control means for displaying the tomographic image formed by the image processing means and the layer position information indicating the position of the predetermined layer obtained on the display means.

  According to such a fundus image display apparatus, the examiner can detect the fundus image, the tomographic image, the position of the tomographic image on the fundus image (specified position information), and the position of the predetermined layer in the fundus image (layer position information). Can be grasped, and both the state of the surface of the fundus and the state of the deep tissue can be observed and grasped in detail.

  Further, the fundus image display apparatus according to the present invention includes a storage unit that stores a two-dimensional image of the surface of the fundus of the eye to be examined and a tomographic image of the fundus, and a display unit that displays the stored two-dimensional image and the tomographic image. And a cross section corresponding to the designated image area based on the tomographic image stored in the storage means when the operation means and the image area on the two-dimensional image displayed on the display means are designated by the operation means. A tomographic image is formed, a position of a predetermined layer of the fundus is determined in the formed tomographic image, and a predetermined fundus of the fundus at each position of the specified image region is determined based on the determined position of the predetermined layer of the fundus Image processing means for calculating the thickness of the part; and control means for displaying on the display means fundus thickness graph information indicating the thickness of a predetermined part of the fundus at each position in the designated image area based on the calculation result; With That.

  According to such a fundus image display apparatus, the thickness of the predetermined part of the fundus can be calculated for each position of the designated image region and the fundus thickness graph information can be displayed. Can be measured and presented to the examiner with high accuracy by measuring the thickness of a predetermined part of the fundus.

  Further, the fundus observation program according to the present invention includes a storage unit that stores a two-dimensional image of the surface of the fundus of the eye to be examined and a tomographic image of the fundus, and a display unit that displays the stored two-dimensional image and the tomographic image. When the image area on the two-dimensional image displayed on the display means is designated by the operation means, the designated image area is determined based on the tomographic image stored in the storage means. A two-dimensional image stored in the storage means and a designated image area that functions as an image processing means for obtaining a position of a predetermined layer of the fundus oculi in the formed tomographic image. As a control means for displaying the tomographic image formed by the image processing means and the obtained layer position information indicating the position of the predetermined layer on the display means. It is intended to

  According to such a fundus observation program, the examiner determines the fundus image, the tomographic image, the position of the tomographic image on the fundus image (designated position information), and the position of the predetermined layer (layer position information) on the fundus image. It becomes possible to grasp, and both the state of the surface of the fundus and the state of the deep tissue can be observed and grasped in detail.

  Further, the fundus observation program according to the present invention includes a storage unit that stores a two-dimensional image of the surface of the fundus of the eye to be examined and a tomographic image of the fundus, and a display unit that displays the stored two-dimensional image and the tomographic image. When the image area on the two-dimensional image displayed on the display means is designated by the operation means, the designated image area is determined based on the tomographic image stored in the storage means. Forming a tomographic image having a cross-section corresponding to, determining the position of a predetermined layer of the fundus in the formed tomographic image, and each position of the specified image region based on the determined position of the predetermined layer of the fundus The fundus thickness graph information indicating the thickness of the predetermined part of the fundus at each position in the designated image area is displayed based on the calculation result. It is intended to function as a control means for displaying on the device.

  According to such a fundus observation program, the thickness of the fundus thickness graph information can be displayed by calculating the thickness of the fundus thickness for each position of the designated image region. Compared with the conventional configuration presented in a quadrant, it is possible to measure the thickness of a predetermined part of the fundus with high accuracy and present it to the examiner.

  An example of a preferred embodiment of a fundus oculi observation device, a fundus oculi image display device, and a fundus oculi observation program according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same components as those shown in FIGS. 23 and 24 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[Device configuration]
First, the structure of the fundus oculi observation device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 1 shows an example of the entire configuration of the fundus oculi observation device 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the scanning unit 141 in the fundus camera unit 1A. FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of the OCT unit 150. FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of the arithmetic control device 200. FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of the control system of the fundus oculi observation device 1. FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of the operation panel 3a provided in the fundus camera unit 1A. FIG. 7 shows an example of the configuration of the control system of the arithmetic and control unit 200.

[overall structure]
As shown in FIG. 1, the fundus oculi observation device 1 according to this embodiment includes a fundus camera unit 1 </ b> A having the same function as the fundus camera of FIGS. 23 and 24, and an optical system of an optical image measurement device (OCT device). The stored OCT unit 150 and an arithmetic control device 200 that executes various arithmetic processes, control processes, and the like are configured.

  One end of a connection line 152 is attached to the OCT unit 150. A connector portion 151 is attached to the other end of the connection line 152. This connector part 151 is attached to the attachment part (see the attachment part 8c in FIG. 23) of the housing of the fundus camera unit 1A. In addition, an optical fiber is conducted inside the connection line 152. Thus, the OCT unit 150 and the fundus camera unit 1A are optically connected via the connection line 152. The detailed configuration of the OCT unit 150 will be described later with reference to FIG.

[Configuration of fundus camera unit]
The fundus camera unit 1A is a device that forms a two-dimensional image of the surface of the fundus of the eye to be inspected based on optically acquired data (data detected by the imaging devices 10 and 12), as shown in FIG. The external appearance is almost the same as that of the conventional fundus camera 1000. Also, the fundus camera unit 1A, like the conventional optical system shown in FIG. 24, performs illumination optical system 100 that illuminates the fundus oculi Ef of the eye E, and photographing that guides the fundus reflection light of the illumination light to the imaging device 10. And an optical system 120.

  Although details will be described later, the imaging device 10 in the photographing optical system 120 of this embodiment detects illumination light having a wavelength in the near infrared region. The photographing optical system 120 is separately provided with an imaging device 12 for detecting illumination light having a wavelength in the visible region. Further, the photographing optical system 120 guides the signal light from the OCT unit 150 to the fundus oculi Ef and guides the signal light passing through the fundus oculi Ef to the OCT unit 150.

  The illumination optical system 100 includes an observation light source 101, a condenser lens 102, a photographing light source 103, a condenser lens 104, exciter filters 105 and 106, a ring translucent plate 107, a mirror 108, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), as in the past. 109, an illumination aperture 110, a relay lens 111, a perforated mirror 112, and an objective lens 113.

  The observation light source 101 outputs illumination light having a wavelength in the visible region included in a range of about 400 nm to 700 nm, for example. Moreover, the imaging light source 103 outputs illumination light having a wavelength in the near-infrared region included in a range of about 700 nm to 800 nm, for example. The near-infrared light output from the imaging light source 103 is set to be shorter than the wavelength of light used in the OCT unit 150 (described later).

  The photographing optical system 120 includes an objective lens 113, a perforated mirror 112 (hole 112a), a photographing aperture 121, barrier filters 122 and 123, a variable power lens 124, a relay lens 125, a photographing lens 126, a dichroic mirror 134, Field lens (field lens) 128, half mirror 135, relay lens 131, dichroic mirror 136, photographing lens 133, imaging device 10 (imaging device 10a), reflection mirror 137, photographing lens 138, photographing device 12 (imaging device 12a), A lens 139 and an LCD 140 are included.

  In the photographing optical system 120 according to this embodiment, unlike the conventional photographing optical system 120 shown in FIG. 24, the dichroic mirror 134, the half mirror 135, the dichroic mirror 136, the reflection mirror 137, the photographing lens 138, the lens 139, and the LCD 140. Is provided.

  The dichroic mirror 134 reflects the fundus reflection light (having a wavelength included in the range of about 400 nm to 800 nm) of the illumination light from the illumination optical system 100 and the signal light LS (for example, about 800 nm to 900 nm) from the OCT unit 150. Having a wavelength included in the range (described later).

  Further, the dichroic mirror 136 transmits illumination light having a wavelength in the visible region from the illumination optical system 100 (visible light having a wavelength of about 400 nm to 700 nm output from the observation light source 101) and changes the wavelength in the near infrared region. It is configured to reflect the illumination light it has (near infrared light with a wavelength of about 700 nm to 800 nm output from the imaging light source 103).

  The LCD 140 displays a fixation target (internal fixation target) for fixing the eye E to be examined. The light from the LCD 140 is collected by the lens 139, reflected by the half mirror 135, and then reflected by the dichroic mirror 136 via the field lens 128. Then, the light enters the eye E through the photographing lens 126, the relay lens 125, the variable power lens 124, the aperture mirror 112 (the aperture 112 a), the objective lens 113, and the like. Thereby, an internal fixation target or the like is projected onto the fundus oculi Ef of the eye E to be examined.

  The image pickup device 10a is an image pickup device such as a CCD or a CMOS built in the image pickup device 10 such as a television camera, and particularly detects light having a wavelength in the near infrared region (that is, the image pickup device 10 is It is an infrared TV camera that detects near-infrared light.) The imaging device 10 outputs a video signal as a result of detecting near infrared light.

  The touch panel monitor 11 displays a two-dimensional image (fundus image Ef ′) of the surface of the fundus oculi Ef based on this video signal. The video signal is sent to the arithmetic and control unit 200, and a fundus image is displayed on the display (described later).

  At the time of fundus photographing by the imaging device 10, for example, illumination light having a wavelength in the near infrared region output from the photographing light source 103 of the illumination optical system 100 is used.

  On the other hand, the image pickup device 12a is an image pickup device such as a CCD or a CMOS built in the image pickup device 12 such as a TV camera, and particularly detects light having a wavelength in the visible region (that is, the image pickup device 12 is TV camera that detects visible light.) The imaging device 12 outputs a video signal as a result of detecting visible light.

  The touch panel monitor 11 displays a two-dimensional image (fundus image Ef ′) of the surface of the fundus oculi Ef based on this video signal. The video signal is sent to the arithmetic and control unit 200, and a fundus image is displayed on the display (described later).

  At the time of fundus photographing by the imaging device 12, for example, illumination light having a wavelength in the visible region output from the observation light source 101 of the illumination optical system 100 is used.

  The imaging optical system 120 of this embodiment is provided with a scanning unit 141 and a lens 142. The scanning unit 141 has a configuration for scanning an irradiation position on the fundus oculi Ef of light (signal light LS; described later) output from the OCT unit 150, and functions as an example of the “scanning unit” of the present invention. Is.

  The lens 142 makes the signal light LS guided from the OCT unit 150 through the connection line 152 enter the scanning unit 141 as a parallel light beam. The lens 142 acts to focus the fundus reflection light of the signal light LS that has passed through the scanning unit 141.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of a specific configuration of the scanning unit 141. The scanning unit 141 includes galvanometer mirrors 141A and 141B and reflection mirrors 141C and 141D.

  Galvano mirrors 141A and 141B are reflection mirrors arranged so as to be rotatable about rotation shafts 141a and 141b, respectively. Each of the galvanometer mirrors 141A and 141B is rotated around the rotation shafts 141a and 141b by a drive mechanism (mirror drive mechanisms 241 and 242 shown in FIG. 5), which will be described later, and reflects its reflection surface (signal light LS). Direction), that is, the positions of the galvanometer mirrors 141A and 141B are changed.

  The rotating shafts 141a and 141b are disposed so as to be orthogonal to each other. In FIG. 2, the rotation shaft 141a of the galvano mirror 141A is arranged in a direction parallel to the paper surface of FIG. 2, and the rotation shaft 141b of the galvano mirror 141B is orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. Arranged in the direction.

  That is, the galvano mirror 141B is configured to be rotatable in a direction indicated by a double-sided arrow in FIG. 2, and the galvano mirror 141A is configured to be rotatable in a direction orthogonal to the double-sided arrow. Accordingly, the pair of galvanometer mirrors 141A and 141B act so as to change the reflection direction of the signal light LS to directions orthogonal to each other. As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, when the galvano mirror 141A is rotated, the signal light LS is scanned in the x direction, and when the galvano mirror 141B is rotated, the signal light LS is scanned in the y direction.

  The signal light LS reflected by the galvanometer mirrors 141A and 141B is reflected by the reflection mirrors 141C and 141D and travels in the same direction as when incident on the galvanometer mirror 141A.

  As described above, the optical fiber 152 a is electrically connected to the inside of the connection line 152, and the end surface 152 b of the optical fiber 152 a is disposed so as to face the lens 142. The signal light LS emitted from the end surface 152b travels toward the lens 142 while expanding the beam diameter, but is converted into a parallel light beam by the lens 142. On the contrary, the signal light LS passing through the fundus oculi Ef is focused toward the end surface 152b by the lens 142 and guided to the optical fiber 152a.

[Configuration of OCT unit]
Next, the configuration of the OCT unit 150 will be described with reference to FIG. An OCT unit 150 shown in the figure is an apparatus for forming a fundus tomographic image based on optically acquired data (data detected by a CCD 184 described later).

  The OCT unit 150 includes an optical system that is substantially the same as a conventional optical image measurement device. That is, the OCT unit 150 divides the light output from the light source into reference light and signal light, and superimposes the reference light that has passed through the reference object and the signal light that has passed through the object to be measured (fundus Ef). An interferometer that generates interference light and means for detecting the interference light and outputting a signal (detection signal) as a detection result to the arithmetic and control unit 200 are provided. The arithmetic and control unit 200 analyzes this signal to form a tomographic image of the measurement object (fundus Ef).

  The low coherence light source 160 is configured by a broadband light source such as a super luminescent diode (SLD) or a light emitting diode (LED) that outputs low coherence light L0. The low coherence light L0 is, for example, light having a wavelength in the near infrared region and a temporal coherence length of about several tens of micrometers.

  The low coherence light L0 has a wavelength longer than the illumination light (wavelength of about 400 nm to 800 nm) of the fundus camera unit 1A, for example, a wavelength included in a range of about 800 nm to 900 nm. The low coherence light source 160 corresponds to an example of the “light source” of the present invention.

  The low coherence light L0 output from the low coherence light source 160 is guided to an optical coupler 162 through an optical fiber 161 made of, for example, a single mode fiber or PM fiber (Polarization maintaining fiber). The optical coupler 162 splits the low coherence light L0 into the reference light LR and the signal light LS.

  The optical coupler 162 functions as both means for splitting light (splitter) and means for superimposing light (coupler). Here, the optical coupler 162 is conventionally referred to as “optical coupler”. To do.

  The reference light LR generated by the optical coupler 162 is guided by an optical fiber 163 made of a single mode fiber or the like and emitted from the end face of the fiber. The emitted reference light LR is collimated by the collimator lens 171 and then reflected by the reference mirror 174 (reference object) via the glass block 172 and the density filter 173.

  The reference light LR reflected by the reference mirror 174 passes through the density filter 173 and the glass block 172 again, and is condensed on the fiber end surface of the optical fiber 163 by the collimator lens 171. The collected reference light LR is guided to the optical coupler 162 through the optical fiber 163.

  Here, the glass block 172 and the density filter 173 serve as delay means for matching the optical path lengths (optical distances) of the reference light LR and the signal light LS, and dispersion for matching the dispersion characteristics of the reference light LR and the signal light LS. Acts as a compensation means.

  The density filter 173 also acts as a neutral density filter that reduces the amount of reference light, and is constituted by, for example, a rotating ND (Neutral Density) filter. The density filter 173 is rotationally driven by a drive mechanism (a density filter drive mechanism 244 described later; see FIG. 5) configured to include a drive device such as a motor, thereby changing the amount of decrease in the light amount of the reference light LR. It works to let you. Thereby, the light quantity of the reference light LR that contributes to the generation of the interference light LC can be changed.

  Further, the reference mirror 174 is configured to be moved in the traveling direction of the reference light LR (the direction of the double-sided arrow shown in FIG. 3). Thereby, the optical path length of the reference light LR corresponding to the axial length of the eye E to be examined is secured. The reference mirror 174 is moved by a drive mechanism including a drive device such as a motor (reference mirror drive mechanism 243 described later; see FIG. 5).

  On the other hand, the signal light LS generated by the optical coupler 162 is guided to the end of the connection line 152 by an optical fiber 164 made of a single mode fiber or the like. An optical fiber 152 a is conducted inside the connection line 152. Here, the optical fiber 164 and the optical fiber 152a may be configured by a single optical fiber, or may be formed integrally by joining the end faces thereof. Good. In any case, it is sufficient that the optical fibers 164 and 152a are configured to transmit the signal light LS between the fundus camera unit 1A and the OCT unit 150.

  The signal light LS is guided through the connection line 152 and guided to the fundus camera unit 1A. Then, the eye E is passed through the lens 142, the scanning unit 141, the dichroic mirror 134, the photographing lens 126, the relay lens 125, the variable magnification lens 124, the photographing aperture 121, the hole 112a of the aperture mirror 112, and the objective lens 113. It is made to enter. When the signal light LS is incident on the eye E, the barrier filters 122 and 123 are each retracted from the optical path in advance.

  The signal light LS incident on the eye E is imaged and reflected on the fundus (retina) Ef. At this time, the signal light LS is not only reflected by the surface of the fundus oculi Ef, but also reaches the deep region of the fundus oculi Ef and is scattered at the refractive index boundary. Therefore, the signal light LS passing through the fundus oculi Ef is light including information reflecting the surface morphology of the fundus oculi Ef and information reflecting the state of backscattering at the refractive index boundary of the deep tissue of the fundus oculi Ef. . This light may be simply referred to as “fundus reflected light of the signal light LS”.

  The fundus reflected light of the signal light LS travels in the reverse direction in the fundus camera unit 1A, is condensed on the end surface 152b of the optical fiber 152a, enters the OCT unit 150 through the optical fiber 152, and enters the optical fiber 164. And returns to the optical coupler 162.

  The optical coupler 162 superimposes the signal light LS returned via the fundus oculi Ef and the reference light LR reflected by the reference mirror 174 to generate interference light LC. The generated interference light LC is guided to the spectrometer 180 through an optical fiber 165 made of a single mode fiber or the like.

  Here, the “interference light generation means” of the present invention is constituted by an interferometer including at least an optical coupler 162, optical fibers 163 and 164, and a reference mirror 174. In this embodiment, a Michelson interferometer is used. However, for example, any type of interferometer such as a Mach-Zehnder type can be appropriately used.

  The spectrometer (spectrometer) 180 includes a collimator lens 181, a diffraction grating 182, an imaging lens 183, and a CCD 184. The diffraction grating 182 of this embodiment is a transmission type diffraction grating that transmits light, but of course, a reflection type diffraction grating that reflects light can also be used. Of course, other photodetecting elements can be used instead of the CCD 184. Such a light detection element corresponds to an example of the “detection means” of the present invention.

  The interference light LC incident on the spectrometer 180 is converted into a parallel light beam by the collimator lens 181 and then split (spectral decomposition) by the diffraction grating 182. The split interference light LC is imaged on the imaging surface of the CCD 184 by the imaging lens 183. The CCD 184 receives this interference light LC and converts it into an electrical detection signal, and outputs this detection signal to the arithmetic and control unit 200.

[Configuration of arithmetic control unit]
Next, the configuration of the arithmetic and control unit 200 will be described. The arithmetic and control unit 200 corresponds to an example of each “fundus image display device” and “computer” of the present invention.

  The arithmetic and control unit 200 analyzes a detection signal input from the CCD 184 of the spectrometer 180 of the OCT unit 150 and performs a process of forming a tomographic image of the fundus oculi Ef of the eye E to be examined. The analysis method at this time is the same as the conventional Fourier domain OCT method.

  The arithmetic and control unit 200 forms a two-dimensional image (image data) indicating the form of the surface (retina) of the fundus oculi Ef based on video signals output from the imaging devices 10 and 12 of the fundus camera unit 1A. I do.

  Furthermore, the arithmetic and control unit 200 controls each part of the fundus camera unit 1A and the OCT unit 150.

  Control of the fundus camera unit 1A includes, for example, output control of illumination light by the observation light source 101 and the imaging light source 103, control of insertion / retraction operation of the exciter filters 105 and 106 and barrier filters 122 and 123 on the optical path, LCD 140, etc. Control of the display device, movement control of the illumination aperture 110 (control of the aperture value), control of the aperture value of the photographing aperture 121, movement control of the zoom lens 124 (control of magnification), and the like. The arithmetic and control unit 200 controls the operation of the galvanometer mirrors 141A and 141B in the scanning unit 141 (operation for changing the direction of the reflecting surface).

  Further, as the control of the OCT unit 150, for example, the output control of the low coherence light L0 by the low coherence light source 160, the movement control of the reference mirror 174, the rotation operation of the density filter 173 (the operation of changing the amount of decrease of the reference light LR). ), Control of the accumulation time of the CCD 184, and the like.

  An example of the hardware configuration of the arithmetic and control unit 200 that operates as described above will be described with reference to FIG.

  The arithmetic and control unit 200 has a hardware configuration similar to that of a conventional computer. Specifically, a microprocessor 201 (CPU, MPU, etc.), RAM 202, ROM 203, hard disk drive (HDD) 204, keyboard 205, mouse 206, display 207, image forming board 208, and communication interface (I / F) 209 are included. It consists of The above units are connected via a bus 200a.

  The microprocessor 201 executes an operation characteristic of this embodiment by developing a control program 204 a stored in the hard disk drive 204 on the RAM 202. The control program 204a corresponds to an example of the “fundus observation program” of the present invention.

  Further, the microprocessor 201 executes control of each part of the device described above, various arithmetic processes, and the like. Also, control of each part of the device corresponding to operation signals from the keyboard 205 and mouse 206, control of display processing by the display 207, control of transmission / reception processing of various data and control signals by the communication interface 209, and the like are executed.

  The keyboard 205, the mouse 206, and the display 207 are used as a user interface of the fundus oculi observation device 1. The keyboard 205 is used as a device for inputting, for example, letters and numbers. The mouse 206 is used as a device for performing various input operations on the display screen of the display 207.

  The display 207 is an arbitrary display device such as an LCD or a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, for example, and displays various images such as an image of the fundus oculi Ef formed by the fundus oculi observation device 1 or an operation screen. And various screens such as setting screens.

  Note that the user interface of the fundus oculi observation device 1 is not limited to such a configuration. For example, a function for displaying and outputting various information such as a trackball, a joystick, a touch panel LCD, a control panel for ophthalmic examination, and the like. It is possible to use any user interface means having a function of inputting various information and operating the apparatus.

  The image forming board 208 is a dedicated electronic circuit that performs processing for forming an image (image data) of the fundus oculi Ef of the eye E. The image forming board 208 is provided with a fundus image forming board 208a and an OCT image forming board 208b.

  The fundus image forming board 208a is a dedicated electronic circuit that operates to form image data of a fundus image based on video signals from the imaging device 10 and the imaging device 12 of the fundus camera unit 1A.

  The OCT image forming board 208b is a dedicated electronic circuit that operates to form image data of a tomographic image of the fundus oculi Ef based on a detection signal from the CCD 184 of the spectrometer 180 of the OCT unit 150.

  By providing such an image forming board 208, the processing speed of processing for forming image data of a fundus image or a tomographic image can be improved.

  The communication interface 209 performs a process of transmitting a control signal from the microprocessor 201 to the fundus camera unit 1A or the OCT unit 150. The communication interface 209 receives video signals from the imaging devices 10 and 12 of the fundus camera unit 1 </ b> A and detection signals from the CCD 184 of the OCT unit 150 and inputs them to the image forming board 208. At this time, the communication interface 209 operates to input video signals from the imaging devices 10 and 12 to the fundus image forming board 208a and input detection signals from the CCD 184 to the OCT image forming board 208b.

  When the arithmetic and control unit 200 is connected to a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet, the communication interface 209 is equipped with a network adapter such as a LAN card and a communication device such as a modem. It is possible to configure to perform data communication via a network. In that case, the fundus oculi observation device 1 can execute the operation according to the present invention by installing a server for storing the control program 204a on the network and configuring the arithmetic control device 200 as a client terminal of the server. it can.

[Control system configuration]
Next, the configuration of the control system of the fundus oculi observation device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 particularly shows a block diagram showing a part related to operation and processing according to the present invention in the configuration of the fundus oculi observation device 1. FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of the operation panel 3a provided in the fundus camera unit 1A. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the arithmetic and control unit 200.

(Control part)
The control system of the fundus oculi observation device 1 is configured around a control unit 210 of the arithmetic and control device 200 shown in FIG. The control unit 210 includes a microprocessor 201, a RAM 202, a ROM 203, a hard disk drive 204 (control program 204a), a communication interface 209, and the like.

  The control unit 210 executes the above-described control process by the microprocessor 201 that operates based on the control program 204a. In particular, for the fundus camera unit 1A, the control unit 210 performs control of the mirror drive mechanisms 241 and 242 that change the positions of the galvanometer mirrors 141A and 141B, and control of the internal fixation target display operation by the LCD 140.

  In the OCT unit 150, the control unit 210 controls the low coherence light source 160 and the CCD 184, controls the density filter driving mechanism 244 that rotates the density filter 173, and moves the reference mirror 174 in the traveling direction of the reference light LR. Control of the drive mechanism 243 is executed.

  The control unit 210 obtains two types of images taken by the fundus oculi observation device 1, that is, a two-dimensional image (fundus image Ef ′) of the surface of the fundus oculi Ef obtained by the fundus camera unit 1A, and the OCT unit 150. Control for displaying the tomographic image of the fundus oculi Ef formed from the detection signal on the display 207 of the user interface (UI) 240 is performed. These images can be displayed separately on the display 207, or they can be displayed side by side at the same time. Details of the configuration of the control unit 210 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The control unit 210 acting as described above functions as an example of the “control unit” of the present invention.

(Image forming part)
The image forming unit 220 performs processing for forming image data of a fundus image based on video signals from the imaging devices 10 and 12 of the fundus camera unit 1A, and a tomogram of the fundus oculi Ef based on a detection signal from the CCD 184 of the OCT unit 150. And processing for forming image data of the image. The image forming unit 220 includes an image forming board 208, a communication interface 209, and the like. In the present specification, “image” and “image data” corresponding to the “image” may be identified with each other.

  The “first image forming unit” and the “fundus camera” of the present invention are each a unit of the fundus camera unit 1A for acquiring a two-dimensional image of the surface of the fundus oculi Ef, and an image forming unit 220 (fundus image). Forming board 208a). Further, the “second image forming unit” and the “optical image forming apparatus” of the present invention are each a unit of the fundus camera unit 1A for acquiring a tomographic image of the fundus oculi Ef, an OCT unit 150, and an image forming unit. 220 (OCT image forming board 208b) and an image processing unit 230.

(Image processing unit)
The image processing unit 230 performs various types of image processing on the image data of the image formed by the image forming unit 220. For example, the image processing unit 230 forms image data of a three-dimensional image of the fundus oculi Ef based on a tomographic image based on a detection signal from the OCT unit 150, various correction processes such as image brightness correction and dispersion correction, etc. Execute.

  The image data of a three-dimensional image is image data obtained by assigning pixel values to each of a plurality of voxels arranged three-dimensionally, and is referred to as volume data or voxel data. When displaying an image based on volume data, the image processing unit 230 performs rendering processing (volume rendering, MIP (Maximum Intensity Projection), etc.) on the volume data, and views the image from a specific gaze direction. Acts to form image data of a pseudo three-dimensional image. A pseudo three-dimensional image based on this image data is displayed on a display device such as the display 207.

  Further, the image processing unit 230 performs processing for obtaining the positions of various layers of the fundus oculi Ef included in the tomographic image. Here, the position of the layer refers to a predetermined layer of the fundus oculi Ef on the tomographic image, such as a position on the tomographic image corresponding to a predetermined layer of the fundus oculi Ef or a position on a tomographic image corresponding to the boundary between adjacent layers. Means the position information. Further, the image processing unit 230 performs a process of calculating the thickness of the layer based on the obtained position of the layer. These processes will be described in detail in the description of FIG.

  The image processing unit 230 that performs the processing as described above functions as an example of the “image processing means” of the present invention. The image processing unit 230 includes a microprocessor 201, a RAM 202, a ROM 203, a hard disk drive 204 (control program 204a), and the like.

(User interface)
The user interface (UI) 240 is provided with a display unit 240A and an operation unit 240B. The display unit 240A includes a display device such as the display 207, and functions as an example of the “display unit” of the present invention. The operation unit 240B includes input devices and operation devices such as a keyboard 205 and a mouse 206, and functions as an example of the “operation means” of the present invention.

(control panel)
Here, the operation panel 3a of the fundus camera unit 1A will be described. For example, as shown in FIG. 23, the photographing panel 3a is disposed on the gantry 3 of the fundus camera unit 1A.

  The operation panel 3a in this embodiment is used for an operation instruction for acquiring a two-dimensional image (fundus image Ef ′) of the surface of the fundus oculi Ef, unlike the conventional configuration described in the “Background Art” section. An operation unit and an operation unit used for an operation instruction for acquiring a tomographic image of the fundus oculi Ef are provided (only the former operation unit is provided in the conventional configuration).

  In this embodiment, by providing such an operation panel 3a, an operation for acquiring a fundus image Ef ′ and an operation for acquiring a tomographic image are performed in the same manner as when operating a conventional fundus camera. You can do both.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the operation panel 3a includes a menu switch 301, a split switch 302, a photographing light amount switch 303, an observation light amount switch 304, a chin rest switch 305, a photographing switch 306, a zoom switch 307, and an image changeover switch. 308, a fixation target changeover switch 309, a fixation target position adjustment switch 310, a fixation target size changeover switch 311 and a mode changeover knob 312 are provided.

  The menu switch 301 is a predetermined menu for the user to select and specify various menus (such as a shooting menu for shooting a two-dimensional image or a tomographic image of the surface of the fundus oculi Ef, a setting menu for performing various setting inputs). This switch is operated to display the menu screen.

  When the menu switch 301 is operated, the operation signal is input to the control unit 210. In response to the input of the operation signal, the control unit 210 displays a menu screen on the touch panel monitor 11 or the display unit 240A. Note that a control unit (not shown) may be provided in the fundus camera unit 1 </ b> A so that the control unit displays a menu screen on the touch panel monitor 11.

  The split switch 302 is a switch operated to switch on / off of a split bright line for focusing (see, for example, JP-A-9-66031, etc., also referred to as a split target, a split mark, etc.). Note that the configuration (split bright line projection unit) for projecting the split bright line onto the eye E is stored, for example, in the fundus camera unit 1A (not shown in FIG. 1).

  When the split switch 302 is operated, the operation signal is input to the control unit 210 (or the control unit in the fundus camera unit 1A; the same applies hereinafter). In response to the input of the operation signal, the control unit 210 controls the split bright line projection unit to project the split bright line on the eye E.

  The imaging light amount switch 303 is a switch operated to adjust the output light amount (imaging light amount) of the imaging light source 103 according to the state of the eye E (for example, the degree of turbidity of the crystalline lens). The photographing light amount switch 303 includes, for example, a photographing light amount increase switch “+” for increasing the photographing light amount, a photographing light amount decrease switch “−” for decreasing the photographing light amount, and a predetermined initial value ( And a reset switch (a central button) for setting to a default value.

  When one of the photographing light amount switches 303 is operated, the operation signal is input to the control unit 210. The control unit 210 controls the photographing light source 103 according to the input operation signal and adjusts the photographing light amount.

  The observation light amount switch 304 is a switch operated to adjust the output light amount (observation light amount) of the observation light source 101. The observation light amount switch 304 is provided with, for example, an observation light amount increase switch “+” for increasing the observation light amount and a photographing light amount decrease switch “−” for decreasing the observation light amount.

  When one of the observation light quantity switches 304 is operated, the operation signal is input to the control unit 210. The controller 210 controls the observation light source 101 according to the input operation signal to adjust the observation light quantity.

  The chin rest switch 305 is a switch for moving the position of the chin rest 6 shown in FIG. The chin rest switch 305 is provided with, for example, an upward movement switch (upward triangle) for moving the chin rest 6 upward and a downward movement switch (downward triangle) for moving the chin rest 6 downward. ing.

  When one of the chin rest switches 305 is operated, the operation signal is input to the control unit 210. The control unit 210 controls the chin rest moving mechanism (not shown) according to the input operation signal to move the chin rest 6 upward or downward.

  The imaging switch 306 is a switch used as a trigger switch for acquiring a two-dimensional image of the surface of the fundus oculi Ef or a tomographic image of the fundus oculi Ef.

  When the shooting switch 306 is operated when a menu for shooting a two-dimensional image is selected, the control unit 210 that receives the operation signal controls the shooting light source 103 to output shooting illumination light, and A two-dimensional image of the surface of the fundus oculi Ef is displayed on the display 240A or the touch panel monitor 11 based on the video signal output from the imaging device 10 that has detected fundus reflection light.

  On the other hand, when the imaging switch 306 is operated while the menu for acquiring the tomographic image is selected, the control unit 210 that receives the operation signal controls the low coherence light source 160 to output the low coherence light L0. The fundus Ef formed by the image forming unit 220 (and the image processing unit 230) based on the detection signal output from the CCD 184 that controls the galvanometer mirrors 141A and 141B to scan the signal light LS and detects the interference light LC. Are displayed on the display 240A or the touch panel monitor 11.

  The zoom switch 307 is a switch operated to change the angle of view (zoom magnification) when photographing the fundus oculi Ef. Each time the zoom switch 307 is operated, for example, a shooting angle of view of 45 degrees and 22.5 degrees are alternately set.

  When the zoom switch 307 is operated, the control unit 210 that has received the operation signal controls a variable power lens driving mechanism (not shown) and moves the variable power lens 124 in the optical axis direction to change the shooting angle of view. .

  The image changeover switch 308 is a switch operated to change the display image. When the image changeover switch 308 is operated while the fundus observation image (two-dimensional image of the surface of the fundus oculi Ef based on the video signal from the imaging device 12) is displayed on the display unit 240A or the touch panel monitor 11, the operation signal is displayed. In response, the control unit 210 displays a tomographic image of the fundus oculi Ef on the display unit 240A or the touch panel monitor 11.

  On the other hand, when the image changeover switch 308 is operated while a tomographic image of the fundus is displayed on the display unit 240A or the touch panel monitor 11, the control unit 210 that has received the operation signal displays the fundus observation image on the display unit 240A or It is displayed on the touch panel monitor 11.

  The fixation target switching switch 309 is a switch operated to switch the display position of the internal fixation target on the LCD 140 (that is, the projection position of the internal fixation target on the fundus oculi Ef). By operating this fixation target changeover switch 309, for example, the display position of the internal fixation target is “fixation position for acquiring an image of the peripheral region of the fundus center (fixation position for fundus center photographing)”. , “Fixing position for acquiring an image of the peripheral area of the macula (macular imaging fixation position)” and “Fixing position for acquiring an image of the peripheral area of the optic nerve head (fixation for optic disk imaging) The display position of the internal fixation target can be switched cyclically between “position” and “position”.

  The control unit 210 displays the internal fixation target at different positions on the display surface of the LCD 140 in response to the operation signal from the fixation target switching switch 309. Note that the display positions of the internal fixation target corresponding to the above three fixation positions can be set in advance based on, for example, clinical data, or set in advance for each eye E (image of the fundus oculi Ef). It can also be configured as follows.

  The fixation target position adjustment switch 310 is a switch operated to adjust the display position of the internal fixation target. The fixation target position adjustment switch 310 includes, for example, an upward movement switch for moving the display position of the internal fixation target upward, a downward movement switch for moving downward, and a leftward movement switch. A left movement switch, a right movement switch for moving to the right, and a reset switch for moving to a predetermined initial position (default position) are provided.

  Upon receiving an operation signal from any one of the fixation target position adjustment switches 310, the control unit 210 moves the display position of the internal fixation target by controlling the LCD 140 according to the operation signal.

  The fixation target size switching switch 311 is a switch operated to change the size of the internal fixation target. When the fixation target size changeover switch 311 is operated, the control unit 210 that has received the operation signal changes the display size of the internal fixation target displayed on the LCD 140. For example, the display size of the internal fixation target can be switched alternately between “normal size” and “enlarged size”. Thereby, the size of the projected image of the fixation target projected onto the fundus oculi Ef is changed. When receiving an operation signal from the fixation target size changeover switch 311, the control unit 210 controls the LCD 140 according to the operation signal to change the display size of the internal fixation target.

  The mode switching knob 312 scans various imaging modes (fundus imaging mode for capturing a two-dimensional image of the fundus oculi Ef, B-scan mode for performing a B-scan of the signal light LS, and the signal light LS three-dimensionally. The knob is rotated to select a three-dimensional scan mode for the purpose. Further, the mode switching knob 312 may be configured to select a reproduction mode for reproducing and displaying the acquired two-dimensional image or tomographic image of the fundus oculi Ef. In addition, it may be possible to select an imaging mode for controlling to perform fundus imaging immediately after scanning with the signal light LS. The control unit 210 controls each part of the apparatus for causing the fundus oculi observation device 1 to execute operations corresponding to these modes.

  Hereinafter, the control mode of the scanning of the signal light LS by the control unit 210 will be described, and the mode of processing on the detection signal from the OCT unit 150 by the image forming unit 220 and the image processing unit 230 will be described. Note that the processing of the image forming unit 220 and the like for the video signal from the fundus camera unit 1A is executed in the same manner as in the prior art, and thus description thereof is omitted.

[Scanning signal light]
As described above, the scanning with the signal light LS is performed by changing the positions (directions of the reflecting surfaces) of the galvanometer mirrors 141A and 141B of the scanning unit 141 of the fundus camera unit 1A. The control unit 210 scans the irradiation position of the signal light LS on the fundus oculi Ef by controlling the mirror driving mechanisms 241 and 242 to change the directions of the reflecting surfaces of the galvanometer mirrors 141A and 141B, respectively.

  When the direction of the reflecting surface of the galvanometer mirror 141A is changed, the signal light LS is scanned in the horizontal direction (x direction in FIG. 1) on the fundus oculi Ef. On the other hand, when the direction of the reflecting surface of the galvanometer mirror 141A is changed, the signal light LS is scanned in the vertical direction (y direction in FIG. 1) on the fundus oculi Ef. Further, the signal light LS can be scanned in a direction in which the x direction and the y direction are combined by simultaneously changing the directions of the reflecting surfaces of both the galvanometer mirrors 141A and 141B. That is, by controlling these two galvanometer mirrors 141A and 141B, the signal light LS can be scanned in an arbitrary direction on the xy plane.

  FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a scanning mode of the signal light LS for forming an image of the fundus oculi Ef. FIG. 8A illustrates an example of a scanning mode of the signal light LS when the fundus oculi Ef is viewed from the direction in which the signal light LS is incident on the eye E (that is, viewed from the −z direction to the + z direction in FIG. 1). Represents. FIG. 8B shows an example of an arrangement mode of scanning points (positions where image measurement is performed; irradiation positions of the signal light LS) on each scanning line on the fundus oculi Ef.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the signal light LS is scanned in a rectangular scanning region R set in advance. In this scanning region R, a plurality (m) of scanning lines R1 to Rm are set in the x direction. When the signal light LS is scanned along each scanning line Ri (i = 1 to m), a detection signal of the interference light LC is generated.

  Here, the direction of each scanning line Ri is referred to as a “main scanning direction”, and a direction orthogonal to the direction is referred to as a “sub-scanning direction”. Therefore, scanning in the main scanning direction of the signal light LS is executed by changing the direction of the reflecting surface of the galvano mirror 141A, and scanning in the sub-scanning direction changes the direction of the reflecting surface of the galvano mirror 141B. Executed by.

  On each scanning line Ri, as shown in FIG. 8B, a plurality (n) of scanning points Ri1 to Rin are set in advance.

  In order to execute the scanning shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 210 first controls the galvanometer mirrors 141A and 141B to set the incidence target of the signal light LS on the fundus oculi Ef to the scanning start position RS ( Set to scan point R11). Subsequently, the control unit 210 controls the low coherence light source 160 to cause the low coherence light L0 to flash and cause the signal light LS to enter the scan start position RS. The CCD 184 receives the interference light LC based on the fundus reflection light at the scanning start position RS of the signal light LS and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 210.

  Next, the control unit 210 controls the galvano mirror 141A to scan the signal light LS in the main scanning direction, sets the incident target at the scanning point R12, and causes the low coherence light L0 to flash and scan. The signal light LS is incident on the point R12. The CCD 184 receives the interference light LC based on the fundus reflection light at the scanning point R12 of the signal light LS, and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 210.

  Similarly, the controller 210 sequentially flashes the low coherence light L0 at each scanning point while sequentially moving the incident target of the signal light LS from the scanning points R13, R14,..., R1 (n−1), R1n. By emitting light, a detection signal output from the CCD 184 corresponding to the interference light LC for each scanning point is acquired.

  When the measurement at the last scanning point R1n of the first scanning line R1 is completed, the control unit 210 controls the galvanometer mirrors 141A and 141B at the same time so that the incident target of the signal light LS is changed along the line changing scan r. The second scanning line R2 is moved to the first scanning point R21. And the detection signal corresponding to each scanning point R2j is each acquired by performing the above-mentioned measurement about each scanning point R2j (j = 1-n) of this 2nd scanning line R2.

  Similarly, measurement is performed for each of the third scanning line R3,..., The m−1th scanning line R (m−1), and the mth scanning line Rm, and a detection signal corresponding to each scanning point. To get. Note that the symbol RE on the scanning line Rm is a scanning end position corresponding to the scanning point Rmn.

  Thereby, the control unit 210 acquires m × n detection signals corresponding to m × n scanning points Rij (i = 1 to m, j = 1 to n) in the scanning region R. Hereinafter, the detection signal corresponding to the scanning point Rij may be represented as Dij.

  The linked control of the movement of the scanning point and the output of the low coherence light L0 as described above includes, for example, the transmission timing of the control signal for the mirror driving mechanisms 241 and 242 and the control signal (output request signal) for the low coherence light source 160. This can be realized by synchronizing the transmission timing with each other.

  When the galvanometer mirrors 141A and 141B are operated as described above, the control unit 210 stores the position of each scanning line Ri and the position of each scanning point Rij (coordinates in the xy coordinate system) as information indicating the operation content. It has come to keep. This stored content (scanning point coordinate information) is used in the image forming process as in the prior art.

[About image processing]
Next, an example of processing relating to an OCT image (a tomographic image of the fundus oculi Ef) by the image forming unit 220 and the image processing unit 230 will be described.

  The image forming unit 220 executes a process of forming a tomographic image of the fundus oculi Ef along each scanning line Ri (main scanning direction). Further, the image processing unit 230 executes a process for forming a three-dimensional image of the fundus oculi Ef based on the tomographic image formed by the image forming unit 220.

  The tomographic image forming process by the image forming unit 220 is configured to include a two-stage arithmetic process, as in the prior art. In the first stage of arithmetic processing, an image in the depth direction (z direction shown in FIG. 1) of the fundus oculi Ef at the scanning point Rij is formed based on the detection signal Dij corresponding to each scanning point Rij.

  FIG. 9 shows an aspect of a tomographic image (group) formed by the image forming unit 220. In the second stage arithmetic processing, a tomographic image Gi of the fundus oculi Ef along this scanning line Ri is formed for each scanning line Ri based on the image in the depth direction at the n scanning points Ri1 to Rin above it. . At this time, the image forming unit 220 determines the arrangement and interval of the scanning points Ri1 to Rin with reference to the positional information (scanning point coordinate information described above) of the scanning points Ri1 to Rin, and sets the scanning line Ri. It comes to form.

  Through the above processing, m tomographic images (tomographic image groups) G1 to Gm at different positions in the sub-scanning direction (y direction) are obtained. The image data of these m tomographic images G1 to Gm correspond to the image data Ga of the tomographic image shown in FIG. 7 (described later).

  Next, a process for forming a three-dimensional image of the fundus oculi Ef by the image processing unit 230 will be described. A three-dimensional image of the fundus oculi Ef is formed based on the m number of tomographic images obtained by the above arithmetic processing. The image processing unit 230 forms a three-dimensional image of the fundus oculi Ef by performing a known interpolation process for interpolating an image between adjacent tomographic images Gi and G (i + 1).

  At this time, the image processing unit 230 determines the arrangement and interval of each scanning line Ri with reference to the position information of each scanning line Ri, and forms this three-dimensional image. In this three-dimensional image, a three-dimensional coordinate system (x, y, z) is set based on the position information (scanning point coordinate information described above) of each scanning point Rij and the z coordinate in the image in the depth direction. The

  Further, the image processing unit 230 can form a tomographic image of the fundus oculi Ef in a cross section in an arbitrary direction other than the main scanning direction (x direction) based on the three-dimensional image. When a cross section is designated, the image processing unit 230 identifies the position of each scanning point (and / or the interpolated depth direction image) on the designated cross section, and the depth direction image (and / or at each specific position). (Or an interpolated image in the depth direction) is extracted from the three-dimensional image, and a plurality of extracted images in the depth direction are arranged to form a tomographic image of the fundus oculi Ef in the designated cross section.

  Note that an image Gmj shown in FIG. 9 represents an image in the depth direction (z direction) at the scanning point Rmj on the scanning line Rm. Similarly, an image in the depth direction at each scanning point Rij on each scanning line Ri formed in the above-described first-stage arithmetic processing is represented as “image Gij”.

[Detailed configuration of arithmetic control unit]
A detailed configuration of the arithmetic and control unit 200 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the control unit 210 and the image processing unit 230 of the arithmetic control device 200 will be described in detail.

(Control part)
The control unit 210 of the arithmetic control device 200 is provided with a main control unit 211 and an image storage unit 212. The main control unit 211 executes the above-described various control processes by the control unit 210.

  The image storage unit 212 stores the image formed by the image forming unit 220. In the image storage unit 212, for example, an image (image data thereof) such as a tomographic image Gi (i = 1 to m) along each scanning line Ri and a fundus image Ef ′ that is a two-dimensional image of the surface of the fundus oculi Ef. Is memorized. The image storage unit 212 functions as an example of the “storage unit” of the present invention, and includes, for example, a hard disk drive 204.

(Image processing unit)
The image processing unit 230 includes a tomographic image forming unit 231, a layer position analyzing unit 232, a fundus thickness calculating unit 233, and a fundus thickness graph forming unit 234.

(Tomographic image forming part)
The tomographic image forming unit 231 forms a tomographic image at an arbitrary cross section of the fundus oculi Ef based on the tomographic image Gi stored in the image storage unit 212. For example, the tomographic image forming unit 231 forms a three-dimensional image based on the tomographic image Gi as described above, and extracts an image corresponding to an arbitrary cross section of the three-dimensional image, whereby an arbitrary cross section of the fundus oculi Ef is obtained. A tomographic image (sometimes referred to as a new tomographic image) is formed.

  Note that when the “arbitrary cross section” referred to here is the scanning line Ri, the tomographic image forming unit 231 does not need to perform a process of forming a new tomographic image.

(Layer position analysis section)
The layer position analyzing unit 232 performs processing for obtaining the position of a predetermined layer of the fundus oculi Ef in the tomographic image formed by the tomographic image forming unit 231. More specifically, the layer position analysis unit 232 obtains the layer position of the fundus oculi Ef as follows, for example.

  First, the layer position analysis unit 232 executes predetermined preprocessing for easily obtaining the layer position of the fundus oculi Ef in the tomographic image. As this pre-processing, for example, gradation conversion processing, image enhancement processing, threshold processing, contrast conversion processing, binarization processing, edge detection processing, image averaging processing, image smoothing processing, filter processing, etc. The image processing is appropriately executed. It should be noted that these image processes can be executed in an appropriate combination.

  Next, the layer position analysis unit 232 analyzes the pixel values (for example, luminance values) of the pixels constituting the preprocessed tomographic image one column at a time along the depth direction of the fundus oculi Ef.

  That is, the tomographic image to be analyzed is a plurality of depth-direction images Gij arranged along a predetermined section (and depth-direction images interpolating between them; images interpolated in a three-dimensional image forming process or the like). .). For each of these depth images, the layer position analysis unit 232 sequentially refers to the pixel values of the pixels constituting the image in the depth direction along the depth direction, thereby corresponding to the boundary positions of adjacent layers. The pixel to be specified is specified. At this time, a pixel corresponding to the boundary position of the layer is specified using a filter (for example, a differential filter) having a spread only in the depth direction.

  In the conventional process of specifying the layer position, the edge detection of each pixel of the tomographic image is performed using a filter (area filter) that spreads in two directions of the depth direction and the direction orthogonal thereto. In this case, edge detection in the depth direction is performed using a one-dimensional filter (line filter) having a spread only in the depth direction, thereby reducing the processing time required for edge detection. Further, by performing such processing, edge detection can be performed with good accuracy. The edge detection line filter is stored in advance in the hard disk drive 204 or the like.

  The layer position analyzing unit 232 obtains an image area corresponding to the boundary position of the fundus oculi Ef layer in the tomographic image, and at the same time obtains an image area corresponding to the fundus oculi Ef layer. That is, since the fundus oculi Ef is composed of a plurality of layers, specifying a layer is synonymous with specifying a boundary position of the layer.

  The fundus oculi Ef has a retina, a choroid, and a sclera in order from the fundus surface side toward the depth direction. The retina consists of the inner boundary membrane, nerve fiber layer, ganglion cell layer, inner plexiform layer, inner granule layer, outer reticular layer, outer granule layer, outer boundary membrane, visual boundary, in order from the fundus surface side to the depth direction. It has a cell layer and a retinal pigment epithelium layer (may differ depending on the site of the fundus oculi Ef). The layer position analysis unit 232 obtains at least one of these layers (layer boundary position).

  Here, the “layer” includes the above-described layers constituting the retina, as well as the choroid, sclera, and external tissues thereof. In addition, the boundary position of the layer includes the boundary position between the inner boundary membrane and the vitreous body, the boundary position between the retinal pigment epithelium layer and the choroid, and the boundary between the choroid and the sclera. The position, the boundary position between the sclera and its external tissue, and the like are also included.

(Fundus thickness calculator)
The fundus thickness calculation unit 233 performs a process of calculating the thickness of a predetermined part of the fundus oculi Ef based on the position of the predetermined layer of the fundus oculi Ef in the tomographic image obtained by the layer position analysis unit 232. Function as an example of “fundus thickness calculation means”.

  Here, the predetermined part of the fundus oculi Ef means a part of one or more layers of the plurality of layers of the fundus oculi Ef described above. For example, the retinal pigment epithelium layer alone corresponds to a “predetermined site”, and a plurality of layers from the inner boundary membrane to the inner granule layer also correspond to the “predetermined site”.

  The “predetermined part” for which the thickness is to be calculated includes, for example, the thickness from the inner boundary membrane to the nerve fiber layer (nerve fiber layer thickness), and the inner granule layer to the inner granule layer (inner The thickness from the inner boundary membrane to the retinal pigment epithelium layer (the retinal thickness). Of these three examples, the second and third examples each represent the retinal thickness, but in general, a plurality of definitions are used for the retinal thickness.

  An example of processing of the fundus thickness calculation unit 233 will be described. As described above, the layer position analysis unit 232 obtains the position (boundary position) of the layer of the fundus oculi Ef in the tomographic image. At this time, at least two boundary positions are obtained. The fundus thickness calculation unit 233 calculates a distance between two predetermined boundary positions among the obtained boundary positions.

  More specifically, the fundus thickness calculation unit 233 calculates the distance between the pixels corresponding to each of the two predetermined boundary positions (distance in the depth direction) for each depth direction image forming the tomographic image. To do. At this time, coordinate values in the xyz coordinate system described above are assigned to each pixel of the image in the depth direction (the x coordinate value and the y coordinate value are constant), and the fundus thickness calculation unit 233 The distance between the pixels can be calculated from this coordinate value. Also, the fundus thickness calculation unit 233 may calculate a target distance based on the number of pixels between pixels corresponding to each of the two predetermined boundary positions and the distance (known) between adjacent pixels. it can.

(Fundus thickness graph forming part)
The fundus thickness graph forming unit 234 performs processing for forming a graph (fundus thickness graph information) representing the thickness distribution at a predetermined position of the fundus oculi Ef based on the calculation result by the fundus thickness calculation unit 233. This fundus thickness graph information will be described later.

[Usage form]
A usage pattern of the fundus oculi observation device 1 having the above configuration will be described. The flowchart shown in FIG. 10 represents an example of the usage pattern of the fundus oculi observation device 1. Moreover, FIGS. 11-14 represents an example of the display screen displayed in this usage pattern.

  First, the examiner operates the operation unit 240B to display the fundus observation screen 400 shown in FIG. 11 on the display unit 240A and display the fundus image Ef ′ on the fundus observation screen 400 (S1).

  When the examiner operates the operation unit 240B to designate an image region on the displayed fundus image Ef ′ (S2), the tomographic image forming unit 231 displays the tomographic image Gi (i) stored in the image storage unit 212. = 1 to m), a tomographic image G having the designated image region as a cross section is formed (S3). The control unit 210 displays the tomographic image G on the fundus observation screen 400 (S4). The fundus oculi observation screen 400 displays the tomographic image G and the fundus oculi image Ef ′ side by side.

  When the image area designated in step S2 is the scanning line Ri, as described above, the tomographic image Gi corresponding to the designated scanning line Ri is handled as the tomographic image G in step S3. become.

  Here, the fundus oculi observation screen 400 will be described. The fundus oculi observation screen 400 includes a tomographic image display unit 401, a fundus image display unit 402, a fundus thickness graph display unit 403, a setting operation unit 404, and an information display unit 405.

  In step S <b> 1, the fundus image Ef ′ is displayed on the fundus image display unit 402. On the fundus image Ef ′ displayed on the fundus image display unit 402, a scanning region image R ′ showing the scanning region R for acquiring the tomographic image Gi is superimposed and displayed.

  The designation of the image area on the fundus image Ef ′ in step S2 will be described. The examiner operates the operation unit 240B to designate a straight line on the fundus oculi image Ef ′. For example, a straight line can be designated by a drag-and-drop operation of the mouse 206. The controller 210 superimposes and displays an image showing the designated straight line (cross-sectional position image T) on the fundus oculi image Ef ′.

  In addition, the designation of a straight line on the fundus image Ef ′ may be made by designating two points that are end points of the straight line. For example, a click operation or a drag and drop operation with the mouse 206 can be used as the specifying operation. The control unit 210 obtains a straight line connecting the two specified points, and superimposes and displays the cross-sectional position image T indicating the straight line on the fundus image Ef ′.

  Here, the cross-sectional position image T represents the cross-sectional position of the tomographic image G to be displayed in the tomographic image display area 401. Therefore, it is desirable that the straight line designated on the fundus oculi image Ef ′ is within the scanning region image R ′.

  When a part of the straight line is designated outside the scanning region image R ′, an image region corresponding to the designated straight line and a region in the scanning region image R ′ (an image region corresponding to the scanning region R) It is possible to display a tomographic image G having a cross-sectional position in the common area with and to display the cross-sectional position image T superimposed on the common area. In addition, when the entire straight line is outside the scanning region image R ′, for example, a process such as displaying an error message by the control unit 210 may be performed.

  It is also possible to specify a cross section having a shape other than a straight line. For this purpose, for example, the cross-sectional shape designation mode is switched. In the fundus oculi observation screen 400 of FIG. 11, a “Line” selection unit and a “Circle” selection unit are provided in the lower right portion of the fundus image display unit 402. These selection units are alternatively selectable.

  When the “Line” selection unit is selected, the linear cross-sectional position can be set as described above. FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a display mode of the fundus oculi observation screen 400 when a cross-sectional position including an arbitrary straight line is designated. In the fundus image display unit 402 of the fundus oculi observation screen 400 of FIG. In step S3, the tomographic image forming unit 231 forms a tomographic image G ′ having a cross-sectional position in the straight line region indicated by the cross-sectional position image T ′. In step S4, the control unit 210 causes the tomographic image display unit 401 to display the tomographic image G ′. Here, for example, the direction from the designation start position when designating the cross-sectional position image T ′ to the designation end position is associated with the direction from the left end position of the tomographic image G ′ to the right direction.

  On the other hand, when the “Circle” selection unit is selected, a circular cross-sectional position can be set. The circular cross-sectional position can be specified by appropriately changing the size of the circular image by a drag-and-drop operation with the mouse 206, for example. FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a display form of the fundus oculi observation screen 400 when a circular cross-sectional position is designated. A circular cross-sectional position image T ″ is designated in the fundus image display unit 402 of the fundus oculi observation screen 400 in the figure. In step S3, the tomographic image forming unit 231 displays the circle indicated by the cross-sectional position image T ″. A tomographic image G ″ having the circumference as a cross-sectional position is formed. In step S4, the control unit 210 causes the tomographic image display unit 401 to display the tomographic image G ″. Here, for example, the direction in which the circumference advances clockwise from the upper end position of the sectional position image T ″ and the direction from the left end position of the tomographic image G ″ in the right direction are associated with each other.

  In addition, it is possible to configure so that a cross-sectional position of an arbitrary shape other than a linear shape or a circular shape can be designated. For example, a cross-sectional position such as a curved line shape, a polygonal line shape, an elliptical shape, or a polygonal shape can be applied.

  In step S2, it is possible to apply a method other than the cross-sectional position designation method that directly corresponds to the operation as described above. For example, the cross-sectional position along the scanning line Ri may be automatically designated by performing a predetermined operation using the operation unit 240B. A cross-sectional position image T shown in FIG. 11 corresponds to a cross-sectional position along the scanning line Ri.

  In step S <b> 4, the tomographic image G is displayed on the tomographic image display unit 401. The tomographic image display unit 401 is provided with an edit button 410 described later. The fundus thickness graph display unit 403 will be described later.

  The setting operation unit 404 of the fundus oculi observation screen 400 is provided with various soft keys used for setting operations related to the display mode of the fundus oculi image Ef ′ and the tomographic image G. The information display unit 405 displays various types of information related to the image displayed on the fundus oculi observation screen 400. For example, the information display unit 405 includes information on the patient (patient information) such as patient ID, patient name, patient birth date, patient sex, and the right and left of the eye E (left eye / right eye), Information such as a scanning method for forming the tomographic image Gi is displayed. Above, the description regarding the fundus oculi observation screen 400 is once ended, and the description returns to the flowchart of FIG. 10 (from step S5).

  The layer position analyzing unit 232 analyzes the tomographic image G and obtains a position of a predetermined layer (layer boundary position) of the fundus oculi Ef in the tomographic image G (S5). The controller 210 superimposes and displays an image indicating the obtained layer position (boundary position) on the tomographic image G (S6).

  FIG. 14 shows an example of a display mode when an image showing the boundary position of the layer is displayed in step S6 on the fundus oculi observation screen 400 shown in FIG. First to fourth layer position images L1 to L4 are displayed on the fundus image G of the fundus observation screen 400 shown in FIG.

  Here, the first layer position image L1 shows a position corresponding to the inner boundary membrane (skin of the fundus oculi Ef). Further, the second layer position image L2 shows a position corresponding to the deepest part of the nerve fiber layer (the boundary between the nerve fiber layer and the ganglion cell layer). In addition, the third layer position image L3 shows positions corresponding to the inscribed / exposed areas of the photoreceptor cells (boundary between the inner granular layer and the outer reticulated layer). The fourth layer position image L4 shows a position corresponding to the retinal pigment epithelium layer. Each layer position image L1-L4 is displayed for each position (each pixel) on the cross-sectional position image T. In addition, it is desirable that the layer position images L1 to L4 can be identified by making the display colors different.

  Subsequently, the fundus thickness calculator 233 calculates the thickness of a predetermined part of the fundus oculi Ef based on the position of the predetermined layer of the fundus oculi Ef in the tomographic image G obtained in step S5 (S7).

  As an example of the processing of step S7, when the first to fourth layer position images L1 to L4 shown in FIG. 14 are obtained, the fundus thickness calculation unit 233, for example, uses the first layer position image L1 and the second layer position image L1. Distance between the layer position image L2 (nerve fiber layer thickness), distance between the first layer position image L1 and the third layer position image L3 (net thickness), and the first layer position image L1 And at least one of the distance (net thickness) between the first layer position image L4 and the fourth layer position image L4.

  Next, the fundus thickness graph forming unit 234 forms fundus thickness graph information indicating the thickness distribution of a predetermined part of the fundus oculi Ef based on the calculation result by the fundus thickness calculation unit 233 (S8). This fundus thickness graph information uses a distance in the direction orthogonal to the depth direction (z direction) (or the number of pixels from the reference position) as a definition area, and the thickness (distance in the depth direction) of a predetermined part at each position in this definition area. ) In the range. The control unit 210 displays the formed fundus thickness graph information on the fundus thickness graph display unit 403 of the fundus observation screen 400 (S9). Thereby, on the fundus oculi observation screen 400, the fundus image Ef ′ on which the cross-sectional position image (T) is superimposed, the tomographic image G on which the layer position images (L1 to L4) are superimposed and displayed, the fundus thickness graph information, Are displayed side by side.

  For example, when the distance (net thickness) between the first layer position image L1 and the third layer position image L3 is calculated in step S7, the fundus thickness graph RT shown in FIGS. 11 and 14 is formed. It is displayed on the fundus thickness graph display unit 403. This fundus thickness graph information RT is formed with the number of pixels from the reference position (left end position of the image) of the tomographic image G as a defined area.

  Note that the fundus thickness graph information RT ′ shown in FIG. 12 is fundus thickness graph information formed by the same processing based on the tomographic image G ′ corresponding to the cross-sectional position image T ′. Further, the fundus thickness graph information RT ″ shown in FIG. 13 is fundus thickness graph information formed by the same processing based on the tomographic image G ″ corresponding to the cross-sectional position image T ″.

  The tomographic image display process corresponding to the designated cross-sectional position, the layer position image display process, and the fundus thickness graph information display process are thus completed.

  Next, an example of a usage pattern for manually changing the position of the layer position image will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 16 and 17 show an example of a display screen displayed in this usage pattern. 18 to 20 show an example of a method for changing the position of the layer position image in this usage pattern.

  Here, a case where the position of the layer position image needs to be changed will be described. When a tomographic image of a portion where a fundus blood vessel exists is acquired, an image region corresponding to a deep portion of the fundus blood vessel may become unclear due to the influence of scattering of the signal light LS by the fundus blood vessel or blood. If there is a layer boundary in this unclear image area, the accuracy in determining the layer position may be reduced. In such a case, it is convenient if the layer position can be changed manually while observing the tomographic image.

  For this purpose, the examiner first operates the edit button 410 on the fundus oculi observation screen 400 using the operation unit 240B (S11). This operation is performed by a click operation of the mouse 206 or the like.

  In response to the operation of the edit button 410, the control unit 210 causes the tomographic image display unit 401 to display an editing tool as indicated by reference numerals 420 to 440 in FIG. 16, for example (S12). The editing tool shown in FIG. 16 includes a layer position image designation unit 420, a tomographic image switching unit 430, and a tomographic image identification information display unit 440.

  The layer position image specifying unit 420 is used by the examiner to specify a layer position image to be edited. In the layer position image designation 420, a designation column is provided for each layer position image. In FIG. 16 and the like, the layer position image L1 corresponding to the inner boundary membrane is displayed in green (Green), and the layer position image L2 corresponding to the nerve fiber layer is displayed in red (Red). The layer position image L3 corresponding to the circumscribing is displayed in yellow (Yellow), and the layer position image L4 corresponding to the retinal pigment epithelium layer is displayed in blue (Blue).

  The layer position image designating section 420 designates a “Green” designation field for designating the layer position image L1, a “Red” designation field for designating the layer position image L2, and a layer position image L3. A “Yellow” designation field for this purpose and a “Blue” designation field for designating the layer position image L4 are provided. The examiner can switch the designation / dedesignation of the layer position image by clicking each designation column with the mouse 206.

  The tomographic image switching unit 430 is operated to switch the tomographic image G to be edited of the layer position image. The tomographic image G is stored in a predetermined order. By operating the tomographic image switching unit 430, different tomographic images G can be sequentially displayed according to the predetermined order. For example, when the tomographic image Gi is displayed as the tomographic image G and the operation of returning the order of the displayed images is performed by the tomographic image switching unit 430 (clicking a triangular button pointing in the left direction in FIG. 16), The tomographic image G (i−1) in the previous order is displayed on the tomographic image display unit 401. Further, when an operation for advancing the order of display images is performed (when a triangle button pointing to the right direction is clicked), the tomographic image G (i + 1) in the next order is displayed. When the display image is switched in this way, identification information (image order or the like) of the tomographic image G is displayed on the tomographic image identification information display unit 440. Note that the processing described here is executed by the control unit 210 or the like.

  When the editing tool is displayed, the examiner switches and displays the tomographic image G as necessary, and then designates the layer position image to be edited using the layer position image designation unit 420 (S13). . Further, as shown in FIG. 17, the examiner designates an area (editing area) M for editing the layer position image (S14). Note that either step S13 or step S14 may be performed first.

  When the layer position image to be edited and the editing area M are designated, the control unit 210 deletes the partial image in the editing area M from the tomographic image display unit 401 for the designated layer position image (S15). As a result, the layer position image not designated as the editing target is displayed as it is, and only the portion outside the editing area M is displayed as the layer position image designated as the editing target.

  FIG. 17 shows a case where the “Yellow” designation column and the “Blue” designation column of the layer position image designation unit 420 are designated, and the layer position images L1 corresponding to “Green” and “Red”, L2 is displayed as it is, and the layer position images L3 and L4 corresponding to “Yellow” and “Blue” are deleted in the editing area M.

  FIG. 18 is a schematic enlarged view showing the periphery of the layer position images L3 and L4 in the state shown in FIG. FIG. 18 shows a mouse pointer P operated by the mouse 206.

  The examiner observes the tomographic image G, grasps the image position corresponding to the inscribed / outer circumscribed area of the photoreceptor cell (the layer position corresponding to the layer position image L3), and manipulates the operation unit 240B to grasp the image position. The image position is designated on the tomographic image G (S16).

  More specifically, when the examiner operates the mouse 206 to place the mouse pointer P at the target image position and clicks, the control unit 210 displays the point image Q at the image position, The coordinate value of the image position on the tomographic image G (the aforementioned xyz coordinate system) is acquired. In this manner, the examiner designates a plurality of image positions corresponding to the inscribed / externally inscribed cells (see FIG. 19).

  The control unit 210 forms and displays an image connecting the designated image positions in the editing area M (S17). This process is performed as follows, for example.

  When image positions are sequentially specified from the left side to the right side of FIG. 19 (step S16), the image position is specified in an area within a predetermined distance (predetermined number of pixels) from the right end of the editing area M. In response to this, the control unit 210 forms and displays an image (edited image) L3 ′ so as to connect a plurality of image positions designated so far (see FIG. 20).

  At this time, the control unit 210 forms the edited image L3 ′ so that the end of the edited image L3 ′ is aligned with the position of the layer position image L3 at the left and right ends of the editing area M. That is, the control unit 210 forms the edited image L3 ′ so that the layer position image L3 and the edited image L3 ′ are smoothly connected at the left and right ends of the editing area M.

  In this way, the layer position image L3 can be changed. The layer position image L4 can be similarly changed. This is the end of the description of the usage pattern of the fundus oculi observation device 1 when the position of the layer position image is changed manually.

[Action / Effect]
The operation and effect of the fundus oculi observation device 1 as described above will be described.

  The fundus oculi observation device 1 has a function of forming a two-dimensional image (fundus image Ef ′) of the surface of the fundus oculi Ef of the eye E and a function of forming a tomographic image Gi of the fundus oculi Ef. Furthermore, when the image area of the fundus image Ef ′ displayed on the display unit 240A is designated by the operation unit 240B, the fundus oculi observation device 1 displays a cross section corresponding to the designated image area based on the tomographic image Gi. The tomographic image G is formed, and the position of a predetermined layer of the fundus oculi Ef in the tomographic image G is obtained. Then, the fundus oculi observation device 1 arranges the fundus image Ef ′ and the cross-sectional position image T indicating the designated image region, the tomographic image G, and the layer position images L1 to L4 indicating the positions of the predetermined layers, and displays the display unit 240A. It works to make it display.

  Here, the cross-sectional position image T corresponds to an example of “designated position information” of the present invention. The layer position images L1 to L4 correspond to examples of “layer position information” and “linear image” of the present invention.

  According to such a fundus oculi observation device 1, the examiner determines the fundus image Ef ′, the tomographic image G, the position of the tomographic image G on the fundus image Ef ′, and the position of the predetermined layer in the fundus image G. Since it is possible to grasp, it is possible to observe and grasp both the state of the surface of the fundus oculi Ef and the state of the deep tissue in detail.

  Further, the fundus oculi observation device 1 is based on the position of a predetermined layer of the fundus in the tomographic image G, and the thickness of the predetermined part of the fundus oculi Ef at each position of the image area on the fundus image Ef ′ designated by the operation unit 240B. It works to calculate the thickness. Here, the predetermined part of the fundus oculi Ef means a part of one or more layers of the plurality of layers of the fundus oculi Ef as described above.

  According to the fundus oculi observation device 1 having such an action, the thickness of a predetermined part of the fundus oculi Ef at each position of the designated image region can be obtained, so that the thickness of the layer of the fundus oculi Ef is reduced to a quadrant. It is possible to measure the thickness of the layer of the fundus oculi Ef with higher accuracy than the conventional device presented in the above.

  Furthermore, according to the fundus oculi observation device 1, the fundus thickness graph information RT indicating the thickness of a predetermined part of the fundus oculi Ef at each position of the image area on the designated fundus image Ef ′ is displayed on the display unit 240A. Therefore, the thickness of the fundus oculi Ef measured with high accuracy as described above can be displayed in an easily understandable manner, and the thickness of the fundus oculi Ef can be measured with higher accuracy than the conventional quadrant display mode. Results can be presented.

  Also, the fundus oculi observation device 1 has a fundus oculi Ef indicated by the changed layer position information when the display position of the layer position information (layer position images L1 to L4) displayed on the display unit 240A is changed by the operation unit 240B. The thickness of a predetermined part of the fundus oculi Ef is calculated based on the position of the predetermined layer. Furthermore, it operates so that the calculation result of the thickness of the predetermined part of the fundus oculi Ef after the layer position information change is presented as similar fundus thickness graph information.

  According to the fundus oculi observation device 1 having such an action, when the fundus oculi observation device 1 cannot detect the layer position information with high accuracy, for example, when a part of the tomographic image G is unclear due to the influence of the fundus blood vessels or the like. Even so, since the examiner can change the position of the layer position information while referring to the fundus image G, the position of the layer of the fundus oculi Ef or the thickness of the predetermined part can be obtained with high accuracy and presented to the examiner. can do.

  Further, the fundus oculi observation device 1 according to the above embodiment has a function of forming a two-dimensional image (fundus image Ef ′) of the surface of the fundus oculi Ef of the eye E and a function of forming a tomographic image Gi of the fundus oculi Ef. When the image region of the fundus oculi image Ef ′ displayed on the display unit 240A is designated by the operation unit 240B, a tomographic image G having a cross section corresponding to the designated image region is formed based on the tomographic image Gi. Then, the position of a predetermined layer of the fundus oculi Ef in the tomographic image G is obtained, and based on the position of the predetermined layer, the thickness of the predetermined part of the fundus oculi Ef at each position of the designated image region is calculated, Based on the calculation result, the fundus thickness graph information RT indicating the thickness of a predetermined part of the fundus oculi Ef at each position of the designated image region is displayed on the display unit 240A.

  According to the fundus oculi observation device 1 as described above, the thickness of the predetermined part of the fundus oculi Ef can be measured with higher accuracy than the conventional configuration in which the thickness of the predetermined part of the fundus oculi Ef is presented in a quadrant. Can be presented to the examiner.

  In addition, according to the fundus oculi observation device 1 according to the above embodiment, the fundus image Ef, the tomographic images Gi, G, and the like are created, the fundus oculi Ef layer extraction process, and the image and graph information display process are performed with simple operations. Since it can be performed smoothly, the examiner can concentrate and observe the state of the fundus oculi Ef. Further, an operation for changing the display position of the layer position images L1 to L4 can be easily performed. Therefore, according to the fundus oculi observation device 1, the examiner can perform the fundus oculi observation by operating the device without feeling (large) stress.

[About fundus image display device]
A fundus image display apparatus according to the present invention will be described. In the above embodiment, the arithmetic control device 200 is used as a fundus image display device.

  The fundus image display apparatus according to the present invention is a storage means (image storage unit 212; FIG. 7) that stores a two-dimensional image (fundus image Ef ′) of the surface of the fundus oculi Ef of the eye E and a tomographic image Gi of the fundus oculi Ef. A display unit (display unit 240A) for displaying the fundus image Ef ′ and the tomographic image Gi, and an operation unit (operation unit 240B). Further, the fundus image display device is configured to specify a specified image based on the tomographic image Gi stored in the storage unit when an image region on the fundus image Ef ′ displayed on the display unit is specified by the operation unit. An image processing unit (image processing unit 230) that forms a tomographic image G having a cross section corresponding to the region and obtains a position of a predetermined layer of the fundus oculi Ef in the tomographic image G, and a fundus oculi image Ef stored in the storage unit ′ And the specified position information (cross-sectional position image T) indicating the image area, and the tomographic image G and the layer position information (layer position images L1 to L4) indicating the position of the predetermined layer are displayed on the display unit. Means (control unit 210; in particular, main control unit 211).

  According to such a fundus image display apparatus, the examiner determines the fundus image Ef ′, the tomographic image G, the position of the tomographic image G on the fundus image Ef ′, and the position of the predetermined layer in the fundus image G. Since it is possible to grasp, it is possible to observe and grasp both the state of the surface of the fundus oculi Ef and the state of the deep tissue in detail.

  Another fundus image display device according to the present invention is a storage means (image storage unit) for storing a two-dimensional image (fundus image Ef ′) of the surface of the fundus oculi Ef of the eye E and a tomographic image Gi of the fundus oculi Ef. 212; see FIG. 7), display means (display unit 240A) for displaying the fundus oculi image Ef ′ and tomographic image Gi, and operation means (operation unit 240B). Further, the fundus image display device is configured to specify a specified image based on the tomographic image Gi stored in the storage unit when an image region on the fundus image Ef ′ displayed on the display unit is specified by the operation unit. A tomographic image G having a cross section corresponding to the region is formed, the position of a predetermined layer of the fundus oculi Ef in the tomographic image G is obtained, and a specified image is obtained based on the position of the predetermined layer of the fundus oculi Ef thus obtained. Image processing means (image processing unit 230) that calculates the thickness of a predetermined part of the fundus oculi Ef at each position of the region, and based on the calculation result, the thickness of the predetermined part of the fundus oculi Ef at each position of the image region is calculated. Control means (control unit 210; in particular, main control unit 211) for displaying fundus thickness graph information RT to be displayed on the display means is provided.

  According to such a fundus image display apparatus, the thickness of a predetermined part of the fundus oculi Ef at each position of the designated image region is obtained, and the fundus thickness indicating the thickness of the predetermined part of the fundus oculi Ef at each position of the image region. Since the graph information RT can be displayed, the thickness of the fundus oculi Ef is measured with high accuracy compared to the conventional apparatus that presents the thickness of the fundus oculi Ef in a quadrant, and the examiner Can be presented.

[About fundus observation program]
A fundus observation program according to the present invention will be described. In the above embodiment, the control program 204a corresponds to a fundus observation program.

  The fundus oculi observation program according to the present invention is a computer program that causes a computer including a storage unit, a display unit, and an operation unit to function as the above-described fundus image display device. See).

  The fundus oculi observation program according to the present invention can be stored in any storage medium that can be read by a drive device of a computer. For example, a storage medium such as an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk (CD-ROM / DVD-RAM / DVD-ROM / MO, etc.), a magnetic storage medium (hard disk / floppy (registered trademark) disk / ZIP, etc.) can be used. is there. It can also be stored in a storage device such as a hard disk drive or memory. Further, this program can be transmitted through a network such as the Internet or a LAN.

[Modification]
The fundus oculi observation device, the fundus oculi image display device, and the fundus oculi observation program described above are only specific examples for suitably carrying out the present invention. Therefore, arbitrary modifications within the scope of the present invention can be made as appropriate.

  For example, in the above embodiment, each layer position information is displayed in a different color so that each of the plurality of layer position information (layer position images L1 to L4) can be identified. Any display mode other than changing the display color can be applied.

  For example, instead of the layer position images L1 to L4 with different display colors, the thickness of the linear image is changed, or the line form (solid line, dotted line, broken line, alternate long and short dash line, etc.) Can be presented in an identifiable manner.

  In the above-described embodiment, the position of a predetermined layer in the fundus image G is obtained by detecting the boundary position between adjacent layers of the fundus oculi Ef using a line filter extending in the depth direction of the fundus oculi Ef. Yes. However, in the present invention, the method for obtaining the layer position is not limited to this, and any known method can be applied.

  In the above embodiment, a linear image is used as layer position information indicating the position of a predetermined layer in the fundus image G, but the layer position information is not limited to this. For example, the entire image area corresponding to a predetermined layer can be displayed in a color different from the surroundings, or can be displayed by being filled with diagonal lines or the like. When a plurality of layers are detected and displayed, it is desirable to display each layer in a different display mode so that it can be identified by the examiner.

  In the above embodiment, when changing the layer position information (layer position images L1 to L4), the image area (editing area M) to be changed and the layer position information are designated, respectively. The layer position information is deleted, and the point image Q is input to a desired position using the operation unit 240B. However, in the present invention, the displayed layer position information can be changed by an arbitrary operation method.

  A modification of the method for changing the layer position information will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 21 shows a layer position image L in the fundus image G. The examiner operates the operation unit 240B (mouse 206) to move the mouse pointer P to a part where the display position of the layer position image L is to be changed (see FIG. 21).

  Next, the examiner moves the change target portion of the layer position image L to a desired position by a drag operation of the mouse 206 (an operation to move the position of the mouse pointer P in a clicked state) (dotted line arrow in FIG. 22). See). When the examiner moves the change target part to a desired position, the examiner releases the click state (that is, drops).

  The control unit 210 stores the position after the movement of the change target part, and forms and displays a linear image (edited image L ′ of the layer position image L) reflecting the new position. At this time, for example, the control unit 210 operates to form a curved edit image L ′ with the end points (left end and right end) of the fundus image G fixed.

  The eye movement measuring apparatus 1 of the above embodiment is a Fourier domain type OCT apparatus, but the configuration of the present invention can also be applied to a time domain type OCT apparatus. An example of a time domain type OCT apparatus is Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-241464 by the present applicant.

It is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the whole structure of suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. It is a schematic block diagram showing an example of a structure of the scanning unit incorporated in the fundus camera unit in a preferred embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device according to the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram showing an example of a structure of the OCT unit in suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. It is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the hardware constitutions of the calculation control apparatus in suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. It is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the structure of the control system of suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. It is the schematic showing an example of the external appearance structure of the operation panel in suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. It is a schematic block diagram showing an example of a functional structure of the calculation control apparatus in suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. It is the schematic showing an example of the scanning aspect of the signal light by suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. FIG. 8A shows an example of a scanning mode of signal light when the fundus is viewed from the incident side of the signal light with respect to the eye to be examined. FIG. 8B shows an example of an arrangement mode of scanning points on each scanning line. It is the schematic showing an example of the scanning aspect of the signal light by the suitable embodiment of the fundus observation apparatus concerning this invention, and the aspect of the tomographic image formed along each scanning line. It is a flowchart showing an example of the usage pattern of suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. It is the schematic showing an example of the display screen displayed by suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. It is the schematic showing an example of the display screen displayed by suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. It is the schematic showing an example of the display screen displayed by suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. It is the schematic showing an example of the display screen displayed by suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. It is a flowchart showing an example of the usage pattern of suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. It is the schematic showing an example of the display screen displayed by suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. It is the schematic showing an example of the display screen displayed by suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. It is a schematic explanatory drawing for demonstrating the change method of the position of the layer position image in an example of the usage pattern of suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. It is a schematic explanatory drawing for demonstrating the change method of the position of the layer position image in an example of the usage pattern of suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. It is a schematic explanatory drawing for demonstrating the change method of the position of the layer position image in an example of the usage pattern of suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. It is a schematic explanatory drawing for demonstrating the modification of suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. It is a schematic explanatory drawing for demonstrating the modification of suitable embodiment of the fundus oculi observation device concerning this invention. It is a schematic side view showing an example of the appearance composition of the conventional fundus oculi observation device (fundus camera). It is the schematic showing an example of the internal structure (structure of an optical system) of the fundus observation apparatus (fundus camera) in the past.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fundus observation apparatus 1A Fundus camera unit 10, 12 Imaging device 100 Illumination optical system 101 Observation light source 103 Imaging light source 120 Imaging optical system 141 Scanning unit 141A, 141B Galvano mirror 150 OCT unit 160 Low coherence light source 162 Optical coupler 180 Spectrometer 184 CCD
200 Arithmetic Control Device 201 Microprocessor 204 Hard Disk Drive 204a Control Program 208 Image Forming Board 208a Fundus Image Forming Board 208b OCT Image Forming Board 210 Control Unit 211 Main Control Unit 212 Image Storage Unit 220 Image Forming Unit 230 Image Processing Unit 231 Tomographic Image Formation Unit 232 layer position analysis unit 233 fundus thickness calculation unit 234 fundus thickness graph formation unit 240 user interface 240A display unit 240B operation unit 241, 242 mirror drive mechanism 310 fixation target position adjustment switch 400 fundus observation screen 401 tomographic image display unit 402 fundus Image display unit 403 Fundus thickness graph display unit 410 Edit button 420 Layer position image designation unit 430 Tomographic image switching unit 440 Tomographic image identification information display unit L0 Low coherence light LR Reference light LS Signal light LC Interference R Scan regions R1 to Rm Scan lines Rij (i = 1 to m, j = 1 to n) Scan points G, G ′, G ″, G1 to Gm Tomographic images Gij (i = 1 to m, j = 1) ˜n) Image in depth direction E Eye to be examined Ef Fundus Ef ′ Fundus image R ′ Scanning region image T, T ′, T ″ Cross-sectional position image RT, RT ′, RT ″ Fundus thickness graph information L1, L2, L3, L4 layers Position image M Edit area Q Point image L3 'Edit image

Claims (13)

First image forming means for optically acquiring data and forming a two-dimensional image of the surface of the fundus of the eye to be examined based on the acquired data;
Second image forming means for optically acquiring data and forming a tomographic image of the fundus based on the acquired data;
Display means;
Operation means;
The display unit is formed by the first image forming unit after the two-dimensional image is formed by the first image forming unit and the tomographic image is formed by the second image forming unit. when the image region on the displayed the two-dimensional image is designated by said operating means to, on the basis of the second said tomographic image formed by the image forming means, corresponding to said designated image region An image processing means for forming a tomographic image having a cross section and obtaining a position of a predetermined layer of the fundus in the formed tomographic image;
The two-dimensional image formed by the first image forming means and the tomographic image formed by the image processing means are displayed side by side on the display means, and designated position information indicating the designated image area is displayed in the 2 Control means for superimposing and displaying on a three-dimensional image, and superimposing and displaying layer position information indicating the determined position of the predetermined layer on the tomographic image ;
A fundus oculi observation device comprising: The image processing means obtains a boundary position between adjacent layers of the fundus as the position of the predetermined layer of the fundus;
The control means causes a linear image indicating the obtained boundary position to be superimposed and displayed on the tomographic image as the layer position information.
The fundus oculi observation device according to claim 1. The image processing means obtains a boundary position between the adjacent layers by analyzing a pixel value of a tomographic image having a cross section corresponding to the designated image region along a depth direction of the fundus.
The fundus oculi observation device according to claim 2. The image processing means calculates the thickness of the predetermined part of the fundus at each position of the image region on the two-dimensional image designated by the operation means based on the obtained position of the predetermined layer of the fundus. Comprising fundus thickness calculating means for calculating,
The fundus oculi observation device according to claim 1. The image processing means obtains at least two boundary positions of adjacent layers of the fundus as positions of the predetermined layer of the fundus;
The fundus thickness calculating means calculates a thickness of a predetermined part of the fundus by calculating a distance between two of the obtained at least two boundary positions;
The fundus oculi observation device according to claim 4. The control means displays the fundus thickness graph information indicating the thickness of a predetermined part of the fundus at each position of the designated image area on the two-dimensional image based on the calculation result by the fundus thickness calculation means. Display on the means,
The fundus oculi observation device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein The control means causes the display means to display the two-dimensional image on which the designated position information is superimposed, the tomographic information on which the layer position information is superimposed and the fundus thickness graph information side by side.
The fundus oculi observation device according to claim 6. When the display position of the layer position information displayed on the display means is changed by the operation means, the fundus thickness calculation means is positioned at a predetermined layer position of the fundus indicated by the changed layer position information. Based on the thickness of the predetermined portion of the fundus based on,
The fundus oculi observation device according to claim 4. The control means is fundus thickness graph information indicating the thickness of the predetermined part of the fundus at each position of the image area on the two-dimensional image designated by the operation means based on the calculation result by the fundus thickness calculation means. Is displayed on the display means.
The fundus oculi observation device according to claim 8. The first image forming unit includes:
An illumination optical system for illuminating the fundus with illumination light;
A photographing optical system for receiving fundus reflected light of the irradiated illumination light;
With
A fundus camera that forms a two-dimensional image of the surface of the fundus based on the received fundus reflected light,
The fundus oculi observation device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein The second image forming unit includes:
A light source;
The light output from the light source is divided into signal light traveling toward the fundus and reference light traveling toward the reference object, and signal light passing through the fundus and reference light reflected by the reference object are superimposed. Interference light generating means for generating interference light;
Scanning means for scanning the irradiation position of the signal light on the fundus;
Detecting means for receiving the generated interference light based on the scanned signal light and outputting a detection signal;
With
The optical image measurement device forms a tomographic image of the fundus based on the detection signal output in response to the scanning.
The fundus oculi observation device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: A storage unit that stores a two-dimensional image of the fundus surface of the eye to be examined and a tomographic image of the fundus; a display unit that displays the stored two-dimensional image and the tomographic image; and an operation unit. A fundus image display device comprising:
A cross section corresponding to the designated image area based on the tomographic image stored in the storage means when an image area on the two-dimensional image displayed on the display means is designated by the operation means. An image processing means for determining a position of a predetermined layer of the fundus in the formed tomographic image,
The two-dimensional image stored in the storage means and the tomographic image formed by the image processing means are displayed side by side on the display means, and designated position information indicating the designated image area is superimposed on the two-dimensional image. Control means for displaying and displaying layer position information indicating the determined position of the predetermined layer superimposed on the tomographic image ;
A fundus image display device comprising: A storage unit that stores a two-dimensional image of the fundus surface of the eye to be examined and a tomographic image of the fundus; a display unit that displays the stored two-dimensional image and the tomographic image; and an operation unit. Computer
A cross section corresponding to the designated image area based on the tomographic image stored in the storage means when an image area on the two-dimensional image displayed on the display means is designated by the operation means. Forming a tomographic image having a function as image processing means for determining the position of the predetermined layer of the fundus in the formed tomographic image,
The two-dimensional image stored in the storage means and the tomographic image formed by the image processing means are displayed side by side on the display means, and designated position information indicating the designated image area is superimposed on the two-dimensional image. Display the layer position information indicating the determined position of the predetermined layer, and function as a control unit that superimposes and displays the information on the tomographic image .
A fundus observation program characterized by this.

Images