JP7467853B2 - Ophthalmic device, method and program for controlling ophthalmic device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ophthalmic device, a control method for an ophthalmic device, and a program.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-233693 discloses an ophthalmologic photographing apparatus that is provided with a plurality of light sources as fixation targets and presents fixation targets corresponding to the left and right eyes.
However, the optical system for presenting the fixation target was complex.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,347,553

The first aspect of the technology of the present disclosure is to
an optical element in which a portion activated by energy emits visible light, and the portion emitting the visible light functions as a fixation target for guiding the direction of the subject's eye;
an energy source that provides energy such that a portion of the optical element that functions as the fixation target is activated;
It is an ophthalmic device equipped with the above.

A second aspect of the technology of the present disclosure is
A method for controlling an ophthalmic device executed by a processor, comprising:
The method for controlling an ophthalmic device includes the processor supplying energy to an optical element, the portion of which that is activated by energy emits visible light and the portion that emitted the visible light functions as a fixation target that guides the orientation of the subject's eye, so that the portion of the optical element that functions as the fixation target is activated.

A third aspect of the technology of the present disclosure is
A program stored in a storage medium and causing a processor to execute control of an ophthalmic apparatus,
The processor,
When energy is supplied to an optical element in which a portion activated by energy emits visible light and the portion emitting the visible light functions as a fixation target for guiding the orientation of the subject's eye, the portion of the optical element that functions as the fixation target is activated,
The program executes a process including controlling the supply of energy to a portion of the optical element that functions as the fixation target based on information input as a direction in which to guide the subject's eye.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an ophthalmologic system. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of an ophthalmic apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of an electrical system of the server. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functions of a server. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a wide-angle optical system. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a fixation unit. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of guiding the direction of a subject's eye to the optical path of a main optical axis; FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of guiding the orientation of a subject's eye in an arbitrary direction. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a configuration in which the position of a fixation target that presents a fixation target can be changed. FIG. 13 is a conceptual configuration diagram of a first modified example. 11 is a conceptual diagram including a light transmission state and optical characteristics in a first modified example. FIG. FIG. 13 is a conceptual configuration diagram of a second modified example. FIG. 13 is a conceptual configuration diagram of a third modified example. FIG. 13 is a conceptual configuration diagram of a fourth modified example. FIG. 13 is a conceptual configuration diagram of a fifth modified example. FIG. 13 is a conceptual configuration diagram of a sixth modified example. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a photographing function of the ophthalmic apparatus. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a photographing process. FIG. 13 is an image diagram showing an example of a diagnostic screen of the viewer. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a composite image generated from a fundus image. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration example of a seventh modified example. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a first application example. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a second application example. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a second application example.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The configuration of an ophthalmologic system 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the ophthalmologic system 100 includes an ophthalmologic apparatus 110, a server apparatus (hereinafter referred to as "server") 140, and an image display apparatus (hereinafter referred to as "viewer") 150. The ophthalmologic apparatus 110 acquires fundus images. The server 140 stores a plurality of fundus images obtained by photographing the funduses of a plurality of patients by the ophthalmologic apparatus 110 in association with the patient IDs. The viewer 150 displays the fundus images acquired from the server 140.

The ophthalmic device is an example of the "ophthalmic device" of the technology disclosed herein.

The ophthalmic device 110, the server 140, and the viewer 150 are connected to each other via the network 130.

Next, the configuration of the ophthalmic apparatus 110 will be described with reference to FIG.
For ease of explanation, Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope is referred to as "SLO" and Optical Coherence Tomography is referred to as "OCT."

When the ophthalmic device 110 is placed on a horizontal plane, the horizontal direction is the "X direction", the vertical direction to the horizontal plane is the "Y direction", and the direction connecting the center of the pupil of the anterior part of the subject's eye 12 and the center of the eyeball is the "Z direction". Therefore, the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction are perpendicular to each other.

The ophthalmic device 110 includes an imaging device 14 and a control device 16. The imaging device 14 is equipped with an SLO unit 18, an OCT unit 20, and an imaging optical system 19, and acquires a fundus image of the fundus of the subject's eye 12. Hereinafter, the two-dimensional fundus image acquired by the SLO unit 18 will be referred to as an SLO image. In addition, a tomographic image or an en-face image of the fundus (e.g., retina) created based on the OCT data acquired by the OCT unit 20 will be referred to as an OCT image.

The control device is an example of a "control unit" in the technology disclosed herein.

The control device 16 is equipped with a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 16A, which is an example of a processor, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 16B, a ROM (Read-Only Memory) 16C, and an input/output (I/O) port 16D.

The control device 16 is equipped with an input/display device 16E connected to the CPU 16A via an I/O port 16D. The input/display device 16E has a graphic user interface that displays an image of the subject's eye 12 and receives various instructions from the user. An example of the graphic user interface is a touch panel display.

The control device 16 also includes an image processing device 17 connected to the I/O port 16D. The image processing device 17 generates an image of the subject's eye 12 based on data obtained by the photographing device 14. The control device 16 also includes a communication I/F 16F connected to the I/O port 16D, and is connected to the network 130 via the communication I/F 16F.

As described above, in FIG. 2, the control device 16 of the ophthalmic device 110 is equipped with an input/display device 16E, but the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the control device 16 of the ophthalmic device 110 may not be equipped with the input/display device 16E, but may be equipped with a separate input/display device that is physically independent from the ophthalmic device 110. In this case, the display device may be equipped with an image processing unit that operates under the control of the CPU 16A of the control device 16. The image processing unit may be configured to display an SLO image, etc., based on an image signal that is instructed to be output by the CPU 16A.

The imaging device 14 operates under the control of the CPU 16A of the control device 16. The imaging device 14 includes an SLO unit 18, an imaging optical system 19, and an OCT unit 20. The imaging optical system 19 includes a first optical scanner 22, a second optical scanner 24, and a wide-angle optical system 30.

The first optical scanner 22 performs two-dimensional scanning in the X and Y directions with the light emitted from the SLO unit 18. The second optical scanner 24 performs two-dimensional scanning in the X and Y directions with the light emitted from the OCT unit 20. The first optical scanner 22 and the second optical scanner 24 may be optical elements capable of deflecting a light beam, such as a polygon mirror or a galvanometer mirror. Alternatively, a combination of these may be used.

The wide-angle optical system 30 includes a combining unit 26 that combines the light from the SLO unit 18 and the light from the OCT unit 20, an objective optical system 28, and a fixation unit 29 that functions as a fixation target that guides the direction (gaze direction) of the subject's eye 12. Details of the wide-angle optical system 30 including the fixation unit 29 will be described later.

The objective optical system 28 may be a reflective optical system using a concave mirror such as an elliptical mirror, a refractive optical system using a wide-angle lens, or a catadioptric optical system combining concave mirrors and lenses. By using a wide-angle optical system using an elliptical mirror or a wide-angle lens, it is possible to photograph the retina not only in the center of the fundus but also in the peripheral part of the fundus.

When using a system including an elliptical mirror, the system using the elliptical mirror described in International Publication WO2016/103484 or International Publication WO2016/103489 may be used. The disclosures of International Publication WO2016/103484 and International Publication WO2016/103489 are each incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The wide-angle optical system 30 realizes observation of the fundus with a wide field of view (FOV) 12A. The FOV 12A indicates the range that can be photographed by the photographing device 14. The FOV 12A can be expressed as a field of view. In this embodiment, the field of view can be defined by an internal irradiation angle and an external irradiation angle. The external irradiation angle is the irradiation angle of the light beam irradiated from the ophthalmic device 110 to the subject's eye 12, which is defined based on the pupil 27. The internal irradiation angle is the irradiation angle of the light beam irradiated to the fundus, which is defined based on the center O of the eyeball. The external irradiation angle and the internal irradiation angle are in a corresponding relationship. For example, when the external irradiation angle is 120 degrees, the internal irradiation angle corresponds to approximately 160 degrees. In this embodiment, the internal irradiation angle is 200 degrees. Such a wide-angle optical system 30 can provide an ultra-wide field of view (FOV) of the fundus, and can capture images of the fundus range with an internal illumination angle of 200 degrees starting from the center of the eyeball. In other words, it is possible to capture images of the area from the posterior pole of the fundus of the subject eye 12 beyond the equator.

Here, an SLO fundus image captured at an internal illumination angle of 160 degrees or more is referred to as a UWF-SLO fundus image. Note that UWF stands for Ultra Wide Field.

The SLO system is realized by the control device 16, SLO unit 18, and imaging optical system 19 shown in FIG. 2. The SLO system is equipped with a wide-angle optical system 30, which enables fundus imaging with a wide FOV 12A.

The SLO unit 18 includes a B (blue light) light source 40, a G (green light) light source 42, an R (red light) light source 44, and an IR (infrared (e.g., near-infrared) light) light source 46, as well as optical systems 48, 50, 52, 54, and 56 that reflect or transmit the light from the light sources 40, 42, 44, and 46 and guide them to one optical path. The optical systems 48, 50, and 56 are mirrors, and the optical systems 52 and 54 are beam splitters. The B light is reflected by the optical system 48, transmits through the optical system 50, and is reflected by the optical system 54, the G light is reflected by the optical systems 50 and 54, the R light is transmitted through the optical systems 52 and 54, and the IR light is reflected by the optical systems 56 and 52, and each is guided to one optical path.

The SLO unit 18 is configured to be able to switch between a light source that emits laser light of different wavelengths or a combination of light sources that emit light, such as a mode that emits G light, R light, and B light, and a mode that emits infrared light. In the example shown in FIG. 2, four light sources are provided: a light source 40 of B light (blue light), a light source 42 of G light, a light source 44 of R light, and a light source 46 of IR light, but the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the SLO unit 18 may further include a light source of white light and emit light in various modes, such as a mode that emits only white light.

The light incident on the imaging optical system 19 from the SLO unit 18 is scanned in the X and Y directions by the first optical scanner 22. The scanning light passes through the wide-angle optical system 30 and the pupil 27 and is irradiated onto the posterior segment of the subject's eye 12. The light reflected by the fundus passes through the wide-angle optical system 30 and the first optical scanner 22 and is incident on the SLO unit 18.

The SLO unit 18 includes a beam splitter 64 that reflects B light and transmits light other than B light from the posterior segment (e.g., fundus) of the subject's eye 12, and a beam splitter 58 that reflects G light and transmits light other than G light from the light that has passed through the beam splitter 64. The SLO unit 18 includes a beam splitter 60 that reflects R light and transmits light other than R light from the light that has passed through the beam splitter 58. The SLO unit 18 includes a beam splitter 62 that reflects IR light from the light that has passed through the beam splitter 60. The SLO unit 18 includes a B light detection element 70 that detects B light reflected by the beam splitter 64, a G light detection element 72 that detects G light reflected by the beam splitter 58, an R light detection element 74 that detects R light reflected by the beam splitter 60, and an IR light detection element 76 that detects IR light reflected by the beam splitter 62.

The light (reflected light reflected by the fundus) incident on the SLO unit 18 via the wide-angle optical system 30 and the first optical scanner 22 is reflected by the beam splitter 64 and received by the B light detection element 70 in the case of B light, and passes through the beam splitter 64, is reflected by the beam splitter 58, and is received by the G light detection element 72 in the case of G light. The incident light passes through the beam splitters 64 and 58 in the case of R light, is reflected by the beam splitter 60, and is received by the R light detection element 74. The incident light passes through the beam splitters 64, 58, and 60 in the case of IR light, is reflected by the beam splitter 62, and is received by the IR light detection element 76. The image processing device 17, which operates under the control of the CPU 16A, generates a UWF-SLO image using signals detected by the B light detection element 70, the G light detection element 72, the R light detection element 74, and the IR light detection element 76.

There are UWF-SLO images obtained by photographing the fundus in green (G-color fundus image) and UWF-SLO images obtained by photographing the fundus in red (R-color fundus image). There are UWF-SLO images obtained by photographing the fundus in blue (B-color fundus image) and UWF-SLO images obtained by photographing the fundus in IR (IR fundus image).

The control device 16 also controls the light sources 40, 42, 44 to emit light simultaneously. The fundus of the subject's eye 12 is photographed simultaneously with B light, G light, and R light, thereby obtaining a G-color fundus image, an R-color fundus image, and a B-color fundus image in which positions correspond to each other. An RGB color fundus image is obtained from the G-color fundus image, the R-color fundus image, and the B-color fundus image. The control device 16 controls the light sources 42, 44 to emit light simultaneously, and the fundus of the subject's eye 12 is photographed simultaneously with G light and R light, thereby obtaining a G-color fundus image and an R-color fundus image in which positions correspond to each other. An RG color fundus image is obtained from the G-color fundus image and the R-color fundus image.

Specific examples of UWF-SLO images include a B color fundus image, a G color fundus image, an R color fundus image, an IR fundus image, an RGB color fundus image, and an RG color fundus image. The image data of each UWF-SLO image is transmitted from the ophthalmologic device 110 to the server 140 via a communication IF (not shown) together with patient information input via the input/display device 16E. The image data of each UWF-SLO image and the patient information are stored in the storage device 254 in a corresponding manner. The patient information includes, for example, the patient's ID, name, age, visual acuity, right/left eye distinction, axial length, etc.

The OCT system is realized by the control device 16, OCT unit 20, and imaging optical system 19 shown in FIG. 2. The OCT system includes a wide-angle optical system 30, and thus allows fundus imaging with a wide FOV 12A, similar to the above-mentioned SLO fundus image imaging. The OCT unit 20 includes a light source 20A, a sensor (detection element) 20B, a first optical coupler 20C, a reference optical system 20D, a collimating lens 20E, and a second optical coupler 20F.

The light emitted from the light source 20A is branched by the first optical coupler 20C. One of the branched lights is collimated by the collimating lens 20E as measurement light, and then enters the imaging optical system 19. The measurement light is scanned in the X and Y directions by the second optical scanner 24. The scanning light passes through the wide-angle optical system 30 and the pupil 27 and is irradiated onto the fundus. The measurement light reflected by the fundus is entered into the OCT unit 20 via the wide-angle optical system 30 and the second optical scanner 24, and enters the second optical coupler 20F via the collimating lens 20E and the first optical coupler 20C.

The other light emitted from the light source 20A and branched by the first optical coupler 20C is incident on the reference optical system 20D as reference light, and passes through the reference optical system 20D to be incident on the second optical coupler 20F.

The light beams incident on the second optical coupler 20F, i.e., the measurement light reflected by the fundus and the reference light, are interfered with by the second optical coupler 20F to generate interference light. The interference light is received by the sensor 20B. The image processing device 17, which operates under the control of the CPU 16A, generates OCT images such as tomographic images and en-face images based on the OCT data detected by the sensor 20B.

Here, an OCT fundus image captured at an internal illumination angle of 160 degrees or more is referred to as a UWF-OCT image.

The image data of the UWF-OCT image, together with the patient information, is transmitted from the ophthalmic device 110 to the server 140 via a communication IF (not shown). The image data of the UWF-OCT image and the patient information are stored in correspondence with each other in the storage device 254.

In this embodiment, the light source 20A is exemplified as a wavelength-swept type SS-OCT (Swept-Source OCT), but various types of OCT systems, such as SD-OCT (Spectral-Domain OCT) and TD-OCT (Time-Domain OCT), may also be used.

Next, the configuration of the electrical system of the server 140 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the server 140 includes a computer main body 252. The computer main body 252 includes a CPU 262, a RAM 266, a ROM 264, and an input/output (I/O) port 268, which are interconnected by a bus 270. The input/output (I/O) port 268 is connected to a storage device 254, a display 256, a mouse 255M, a keyboard 255K, and a communication interface (I/F) 258. The storage device 254 is, for example, a non-volatile memory. The input/output (I/O) port 268 is connected to the network 130 via the communication interface (I/F) 258. Therefore, the server 140 can communicate with the ophthalmic device 110 and the viewer 150. The storage device 254 stores an image processing program, which will be described later. The image processing program may be stored in the ROM 264.

The processing unit 208 of the server 140, which will be described later, stores each piece of data received from the ophthalmic device 110 in the storage device 254.

The electrical system configuration of the viewer 150 is similar to that of the server 140, so its description will be omitted.

Next, referring to FIG. 4, functions that are realized by the CPU 262 of the server 140 executing the image processing program will be described. The image processing program has a predetermined display control function, a predetermined image processing function, and a predetermined processing function for generating a display screen in the viewer 150. When the CPU 262 executes the image processing program having each of these functions, the CPU 262 functions as the display control unit 204, the image processing unit 206, and the processing unit 208, as shown in FIG. 4.

Next, the configuration of the wide-angle optical system 30 including the fixation unit 29 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. In the following, the light emitted from the SLO unit 18 and incident on the imaging optical system 19 will be referred to as "SLO light", and the light emitted from the OCT unit 20 and incident on the imaging optical system 19 will be referred to as "OCT light". In this embodiment, the SLO light and OCT light incident on the imaging optical system 19 are configured to be approximately parallel light.

Figure 5 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the wide-angle optical system 30 included in the imaging optical system 19. As shown in Figure 5, the wide-angle optical system 30 includes a combining section 26 that combines the SLO light and the OCT unit light, an objective optical system 28, and a fixation section 29 that functions as a fixation target that guides the direction (gaze direction) of the subject's eye 12. In Figure 5, the objective optical system 28 shows an optical system composed of a refractive optical system using a wide-angle lens or the like.

The objective optical system 28 is composed of a first lens group G1 on the test eye 12 side and a second lens group G2 on the synthesis unit 26 side. The objective optical system 28 has an optical path that passes through the synthesis unit 26, and emits SLO light and OCT light to the test eye 12 via the first lens group G1 and the second lens group G2.

In this embodiment, a dichroic mirror having wavelength dependency can be used as the combining unit 26, and the combining unit 26 has a function of combining the optical path of the SLO light toward the test eye and the optical path of the OCT light toward the test eye. In addition, the combining unit 26 also has a function of separating the optical path of the reflected light based on the SLO light and the optical path of the reflected light based on the OCT light for the light irradiated to the test eye 12 and reflected by the test eye 12, and guiding the reflected light based on the SLO light to the SLO unit 18 and guiding the reflected light based on the OCT light to the OCT unit 20.

The objective optical system 28 including the first lens group G1 and the second lens group G2 is an afocal optical system, and is configured to have a conjugate relationship between the position of the first optical scanner 22 (the position of the scanning center of the first optical scanner 22) and the position of the pupil 27 of the subject's eye 12 (pupil position Pp). In this specification, the term "conjugate relationship" is not limited to a perfect conjugate relationship, but refers to a conjugate relationship including errors that are allowed in advance as manufacturing errors and errors associated with changes over time. In this specification, the term "afocal optical system" is not limited to a perfect afocal optical system, but refers to an afocal optical system including errors that are allowed in advance as manufacturing errors and errors associated with changes over time.

An outline of the operation of the imaging optical system 19 having the above configuration will be described. The parallel SLO light or OCT light incident on the imaging optical system 19 is angle-scanned by the first optical scanner 22 such as a polygon mirror. The angle-scanned parallel SLO light or OCT light passes through the synthesis unit 26, the second lens group G2, and the first lens group G1 in order, and is projected as parallel light on the pupil plane of the test eye 12 at a predetermined magnification, and performs angle scanning with the pupil of the test eye 12 as the scanning center. This parallel light is focused by the test eye 12, and at the fundus of the test eye 12, the focused spot of the SLO light or OCT light scans the fundus as irradiation light. The reflected light obtained by reflecting this irradiation light on the fundus passes through the pupil of the test eye 12, passes through the first lens group G1, the second lens group G2, and the synthesis unit 26 in order, and enters the SLO unit 18 or the OCT unit 20 via the first optical scanner 22 or the second optical scanner 24. The operation after each reflected light enters the SLO unit 18 or the OCT unit 20 is as described above.

A fixation unit 29 is disposed between the first lens group G1 and the second lens group G2 constituting the objective optical system 28. The fixation unit 29 has an energy source 29B and an optical element 29A that functions as a fixation lamp, and is configured to make the position of the optical element 29A on the main optical axis AX of the objective optical system 28 (fundus conjugate position Fcj) and the position of the fundus of the subject eye 12 (fundus position Fu) in a conjugate relationship. The energy source 29B is configured to supply energy to the optical element 29A. The optical element 29A is formed in a plate shape (e.g., a flat plate shape), and is configured so that the plate-shaped surface intersects (e.g., perpendicular to) the main optical axis AX.

Optical element 29A is an example of an "optical element" in the technology of the present disclosure, and energy source 29B is an example of an "energy source" in the technology of the present disclosure.

In this embodiment, optical element 29A is configured as fluorescent glass 290, and energy source 29B is configured to supply energy to fluorescent glass 290 by irradiating ultraviolet light (hereinafter referred to as UV light). As a result, energy (UV light) from energy source 29B is irradiated to fluorescent glass 290 (optical element 29A), and the area of fluorescent glass 290 irradiated with UV light emits fluorescence with a wavelength different from that of UV light. In other words, the energy irradiated from energy source 29B is converted into fluorescence by fluorescent glass 290.

The energy source 29B is configured to irradiate UV light toward the fluorescent glass 290 from outside the main optical axis AX, i.e., from an oblique direction relative to the main optical axis AX, so as not to interfere with the optical path in the objective optical system 28. The energy source 29B is configured to irradiate a beam of UV light of a predetermined width toward the fluorescent glass 290. The energy source 29B is also capable of changing the irradiation direction of the UV light irradiated onto the fluorescent glass 290 so as to change the irradiated position of the UV light on the fluorescent glass 290. The control device 16 controls the change in the irradiation direction of the UV light irradiated onto the fluorescent glass 290 (details will be described later).

Figure 6 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the fixation unit 29 configured to be able to change the irradiation direction of UV light. As shown in Figure 6, the fixation unit 29 includes, as an energy source 29B, a UV lamp 291 that irradiates UV light, and a deflection element 292 such as a mirror having a reflection surface 292M that deflects the UV light emitted from the UV lamp 291 by reflection. The deflection element 292 is configured so that the reflection surface 292M can be rotated in a rotation direction Rm around an axis AXa that intersects with the main optical axis AX, and the reflection surface 292M can be tilted in a tilt direction Rn with respect to the axis AXa. In this way, by rotating or tilting the reflection surface 292M of the deflection element 292, the UV light from the UV lamp 291 is deflected by the deflection element 292, and its position can be changed two-dimensionally on the surface of the optical element 29A (fluorescent glass).

The deflection element 292 is an example of a "modification unit" of the technology disclosed herein, and the UV lamp is an example of a "light source" of the technology disclosed herein.

7, when UV light is irradiated onto the intersection of the fluorescent glass 290 and the main optical axis AX by the energy source 29B (UV lamp 291 and deflection element 292), it emits fluorescent light on the optical path of the main optical axis AX. The part Arc that emits fluorescent light serves as a fixation target, making it possible to guide the direction (gaze direction) of the subject's eye 12 to the optical path of the main optical axis AX. The surface of the fluorescent glass 290 on the subject's eye side and the retina of the subject's eye 12 are in a conjugate relationship.
8, when UV light is irradiated by the energy source 29B (UV lamp 291 and deflection element 292) to any position other than the intersection position of the fluorescent glass 290 and the main optical axis AX, fluorescence is emitted at any position on the fluorescent glass 290. The area Are from which this fluorescence is emitted becomes a fixation target. By changing the fluorescence emission position (i.e., the position of the optical element 29A irradiated with UV light), it becomes possible to guide the orientation (gaze direction) of the subject's eye 12 in any direction.

The energy source 29B may be configured to irradiate UV light in a beam of a predetermined size (size of the cross section of the light beam) that corresponds to the size on the fluorescent glass 290 that is to function as a fixation target. Furthermore, the technology disclosed herein is not limited to a configuration in which UV light is irradiated in a beam, but may also be configured to use an imaging optical system to image the UV lamp 291 as a point light source on the fluorescent glass 290 to a size that functions as a fixation target. In other words, the UV light irradiated from the energy source 29B to the fluorescent glass 290 may be formed to have a predetermined size that functions as a fixation target on the fluorescent glass 290.

In addition, as described above, when UV light is irradiated toward the fluorescent glass 290 from an oblique direction with respect to the main optical axis AX, it is possible to take into consideration the size and shape of the light-emitting area (light spot) depending on the irradiated position on the fluorescent glass 290. For example, by making the size and shape of the light-emitting area (light spot) that functions as a fixation target common regardless of the position on the fluorescent glass 290, it is possible for the subject's eye 12 to recognize it as if a common fixation target has moved. In this case, the fluctuation of the size and shape of the light-emitting area (light spot) that varies depending on the irradiation position on the fluorescent glass 290 is obtained in advance, and the shape of the UV light can be adjusted according to the amount of fluctuation obtained in advance depending on the irradiation position. In addition, the size and shape of the light-emitting area (light spot) may be actively changed depending on the irradiation position on the fluorescent glass 290.

In this way, by forming a fixation target on the fluorescent glass 290 using fluorescence excited by external UV light, it is possible to form an optical system for presenting the fixation target with a simpler configuration than when multiple light sources are provided as a fixation target to present the fixation target.

In addition, even if fluorescent glass 290 is inserted into the optical path of the objective optical system 28, the fluorescent glass 290 transmits visible light and infrared wavelengths, so there is no effect on processing using SLO light and processing using OCT light.

In the fixation unit 29 described above, the energy source 29B is configured by the UV lamp 291 and the deflection element 292, and the propagation direction of the UV light toward the fluorescent glass 290 is deflected to change the irradiated position on the fluorescent glass 290, thereby changing the position of the fixation target (FIG. 7). However, the technology disclosed herein is not limited to changing the irradiated position by deflecting the UV light by the deflection element 292. Here, with reference to FIG. 9, an example of a configuration capable of changing the position of a fixation target that presents a fixation target without using a deflection element 292 will be described.

Figure 9 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a configuration in which the position of a fixation target can be changed to present the fixation target at a different position on the fluorescent glass 290. As shown in Figure 9, the fixation unit 29X includes a UV lamp 291 as an energy source 29B, and a reflecting member 292A that reflects UV light instead of a deflection element 292. A moving unit 299 that moves the UV lamp 291 in each direction perpendicular to the plane that intersects with the axis after irradiation of the UV light is connected to the UV lamp 291. In this way, by moving the UV lamp 291, the direction in which the UV light from the UV lamp 291 travels toward the optical element 29A can be changed, and the position of the UV light irradiated to the optical element 29A can be changed.

In addition, the above-mentioned configuration for deflecting UV light may be combined with the configuration for moving the UV lamp 291.

However, it is not preferable for the UV light used to excite fluorescence to be irradiated onto the subject's eye 12. In this embodiment, the UV light is irradiated towards the fluorescent glass 290 from an oblique direction relative to the main optical axis AX, so the UV light is not guided in a direction along the main optical axis AX, but is emitted outside the main optical axis AX. This makes it possible to suppress irradiation of the subject's eye 12 with UV light. Furthermore, it is preferable to actively remove or suppress UV light from the light irradiated onto the subject's eye 12, including stray light resulting from the configuration of the optical system.

Next, a modified example for suppressing UV light directed toward the subject's eye 12 will be described.
First, a first modified example for suppressing UV light from the light irradiated to the subject's eye 12 will be described with reference to FIGS.

Figure 10 is a conceptual diagram of the first modified example, and Figure 11 is a conceptual diagram including the transmission state and optical characteristics of UV light of the fluorescent glass in the first modified example. As shown in Figure 10, the first modified example uses fluorescent glass (UV non-transmitting fluorescent glass) 293 containing a material that does not transmit UV light as the fluorescent glass 290. As shown in Figure 11, the UV non-transmitting fluorescent glass 293 emits fluorescence at the site Ar when irradiated with UV light, and the UV light incident on the UV non-transmitting fluorescent glass 293 is attenuated, and the emission of UV light from the UV non-transmitting fluorescent glass 293 is suppressed. In this way, since the emission of UV light is suppressed by the UV non-transmitting fluorescent glass 293, the UV light irradiated to the UV non-transmitting fluorescent glass 293 is prevented from reaching the subject's eye 12, or at least is suppressed.

The fluorescent glass 290 is an example of a material that includes the "visible light emitting portion" of the technology disclosed herein, and the UV non-transmitting fluorescent glass 263 is an example of a material that includes the "ultraviolet light limiting portion" of the technology disclosed herein.

Next, a second modified example will be described with reference to FIG. 12. In the above example, a case has been described in which fluorescent glass 290 or UV non-transmitting fluorescent glass 293 is used as the optical element 29A, but the technology disclosed herein is not limited to the use of fluorescent glass.

Figure 12 is a conceptual diagram including the transmission state and optical characteristics of UV light when the optical element 29A is constructed without using the fluorescent glass in the second modified example. As shown in Figure 12, the second modified example constructs the optical element 29A using a fluorescent film UV cut glass 294 in which a fluorescent film 294M that emits fluorescence when irradiated with UV light is formed on one side of glass (UV cut glass) 294G containing a material that does not transmit UV light as a base material. As shown in Figure 12, the fluorescent film UV cut glass 294 emits fluorescence at a portion Ar of the fluorescent film 294M when irradiated with UV light, and the UV light incident on the fluorescent film UV cut glass 294 is attenuated by the UV cut glass 294G, suppressing the emission of UV light. In this way, without using fluorescent glass, the fluorescent film 294M emits fluorescence, and the UV cut glass 294 suppresses the emission of UV light.

The fluorescent film 294M is an example of a "visible light emitting portion" of the technology of the present disclosure, and the UV-cut glass 294 is an example of a material that includes an "ultraviolet light restricting portion" of the technology of the present disclosure.

Next, a third modified example will be described with reference to FIG. 13. In the second modified example, a case in which UV-cut glass 294G is used has been described, but the technology disclosed herein is not limited to the use of UV-cut glass.

Figure 13 is a conceptual diagram including the transmission state and optical characteristics of UV light when the optical element 29A is constructed without using the UV cut glass in the third modified example. As shown in Figure 13, in the third modified example, the optical element 29A is constructed with a fluorescent UV cut film glass 295 in which a fluorescent film 295M is formed on one side of a general glass 295G as a base material, and a UV cut film 295U that cuts (at least suppresses) UV light is formed on the other side. As shown in Figure 13, the fluorescent UV cut film glass 295 emits fluorescence at a portion Ar of the fluorescent film 295M when irradiated with UV light, and the UV light incident on the fluorescent film UV cut glass 294 is attenuated by the UV cut film 295U, suppressing the emission of UV light. In this way, without using UV cut glass, fluorescence is emitted by the fluorescent film 295M, and the emission of UV light is suppressed by the UV cut film 295U.

The fluorescent film 295M is an example of a "visible light emitting portion" of the technology disclosed herein, and the UV cut film 295U is an example of an "ultraviolet light restricting portion" of the technology disclosed herein.

Next, a fourth modified example will be described with reference to FIG. 14. In the third modified example, the case where an optical element 29A having a UV-cut film is used has been described, but the technology disclosed herein does not limit the part that suppresses UV light to the optical element 29A.

Figure 14 is a conceptual diagram including the transmission state and optical characteristics of UV light according to the peripheral configuration of the optical element 29A in the fourth modified example. As shown in Figure 14, in the fourth modified example, the optical element 29A is constituted by a fluorescent film glass 296 in which a fluorescent film 296M is formed on one surface of a general glass 296G as a base material. As shown in Figure 14, in the fluorescent film glass 296, fluorescence is emitted at a site Ar of the fluorescent film 296M by irradiation of UV light, and is emitted from the fluorescent film glass 296. In addition, in the fourth modified example, a UV cut film 296U that cuts (at least suppresses) UV light is formed on the UV light incident side surface of the first lens group G1 on the test eye 12 side. As a result, the UV light toward the test eye 12 side is attenuated by the UV cut film 296U, and the emission of UV light from the first lens group G1 is suppressed.

Next, a fifth modified example will be described with reference to FIG. 15. It is sufficient that the UV light heading toward the test eye 12 is cut or at least suppressed before it reaches the test eye 12. Therefore, the technology disclosed herein does not limit the portion where the UV light is suppressed to the surface of the optical element 29A or the first lens group G1 on the UV light incident side.

Figure 15 is a conceptual diagram of a configuration for cutting or at least suppressing UV light in the fifth modified example. As shown in Figure 15, the fifth modified example forms at least one of the components between the optical element 29A, which is irradiated with UV light and is provided on the optical path of the objective optical system 28, and the test eye 12 so as to include a material that does not transmit UV light, or forms a UV-cut film that cuts (or at least suppresses) UV light on the surface of at least one of the components. Alternatively, forming the component so as to include a material that does not transmit UV light and forming a UV-cut film are combined. This suppresses the UV light on its way toward the test eye 12.

Next, a sixth modified example will be described with reference to FIG. 16. As described above, it is sufficient that the UV light heading toward the subject's eye 12 is cut or at least suppressed before it reaches the subject's eye 12. Therefore, the technology disclosed herein is not limited to suppressing UV light by optical members included in the objective optical system 28.

Figure 16 is a conceptual diagram of a configuration for cutting or at least suppressing UV light in the sixth modified example. As shown in Figure 16, the sixth modified example is an example in which a member that does not transmit UV light, such as a UV cut filter, is provided on the optical path between the optical element 29A, to which UV light is irradiated in the objective optical system 28, and the subject's eye 12. In the example shown in Figure 16, a UV cut filter 298 is provided on the optical path between the optical element 29A and the first lens group G1. This suppresses the UV light on its way toward the subject's eye 12.

The UV cut filter 298 is an example of a material that includes the “ultraviolet light limiting portion” of the technology of this disclosure.
The modified examples of Figures 11 to 16 can provide a configuration that can prevent UV light from the UV light source from being irradiated onto the subject's eye 12, thereby providing the effect of improving the safety of the ophthalmic apparatus.

Next, referring to Fig. 17, a photographing function realized by the CPU 16A in the control device 16 of the ophthalmic apparatus 110 executing the photographing processing program will be described. The photographing processing program has a photographing mode setting processing function, a photographing processing function (fixation target processing function, actual processing function), and an image processing control function. By the CPU 16A executing the photographing processing program having each of these functions, the CPU 16A functions as a photographing mode setting processing unit 162, a photographing processing unit 164 (fixation target processing unit 164A, actual processing unit 164B), and an image processing control unit 166, as shown in Fig. 17.
The image capture processing program is an example of a "program" of the technology of the present disclosure.

Next, the photographing process by the ophthalmic apparatus 110 (a fixation control method in the ophthalmic apparatus 110) will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 18. The photographing process shown in the flowchart of Fig. 18 is realized by the CPU 16A of the control device 16 in the ophthalmic apparatus 110 executing a photographing process program. The photographing process program starts when the operator operates the input/display device 16E of the ophthalmic apparatus 110 to instruct the start of photographing the subject's eye 12.
The photographing process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 18 is an example of a process that realizes the "method of controlling an ophthalmic apparatus" of the technology of the present disclosure.

When the photographing process program starts, in step S102, the photographing mode setting processing unit 162 detects the operation of the input/display device 16E and sets the photographing mode obtained. The photographing mode indicates the photographing part and photographing method of the subject's eye 12. For example, there is an SLO photographing mode in which the SLO unit 18 photographs the posterior part of the subject's eye 12 (e.g., the fundus), and an OCT photographing mode in which the OCT unit 20 photographs the posterior part of the subject's eye 12. Note that the photographing mode is not limited to the photographing mode in which the posterior part of the subject's eye 12 is photographed, but includes a photographing mode in which the anterior part of the eye is photographed, and a photographing mode in which the subject's eye 12 is photographed. The photographing mode is set by the processing of step S102.

In step S104, the fixation target processing unit 164A of the imaging processing unit 164 executes a fixation target position acquisition process by acquiring the position of the fixation target that is predetermined for the set imaging mode from the table. The table is information that associates the imaging mode with the position of the fixation target, and is stored in advance in the ROM 16C. The table may be acquired from an external device.

In step S106, the fixation target processing unit 164A performs control to adjust the orientation of the deflection element 292 so as to present the fixation target at the predetermined position acquired in step S104, and in step S108, turns on the UV lamp 291. As a result, the fixation target is presented at a predetermined position corresponding to the shooting mode, and the orientation (gaze direction) of the subject's eye 12 is guided.

In step S110, the actual processing unit 164B executes the shooting process in the shooting mode set in step S102.

In step S112, it is determined whether the process of presenting a fixation target and photographing each of the positions acquired in step S104 has been completed.

In step S114, the fixation target processing unit 164A turns off the UV lamp. In the processing routine shown in FIG. 18, the UV lamp 291 is turned on before shooting, and when shooting is completed, the UV lamp 291 is turned off before shooting. The technology disclosed herein is not limited to the UV lamp 291 being turned on during shooting. For example, if the UV light from the UV lamp 291 affects shooting, the UV lamp 291 may be turned off immediately before shooting. In addition, the lighting of the UV lamp 291 is not limited to being constantly on, and includes a state in which the UV lamp 291 is turned on for a predetermined period of time, and a flashing state in which the UV lamp 291 is turned on for a predetermined period of time repeatedly.

In step S116, the image processing control unit 166 outputs image data. Specifically, image data of a fundus image (e.g., a UWF-SLO image) obtained by photographing the fundus of the subject's eye 12 using the ophthalmic device 110 is transmitted from the ophthalmic device 110 to the server 140. That is, the image processing control unit 166 controls the image processing device 17 to perform noise removal processing and the like on the image obtained by photographing, and then performs image processing on the image to obtain a UWF-SLO image or a UWF-OCT image, which is then transmitted to the server 140.

On the other hand, when the server 140 receives image data of a fundus image (e.g., a UWF-SLO image) of the fundus of the subject eye 12 photographed by the ophthalmic device 110 from the ophthalmic device 110, the CPU 262 executes an image processing program to perform image processing.

Specifically, the server 140 acquires a fundus image from the image data in the image processing control unit 206, performs a predetermined image processing using the acquired fundus image, and generates a processed image after the image processing. One example of the predetermined image processing is image processing that generates a composite image (see Figures 19 and 20) that combines multiple UWF-SLO images taken with fixation targets presented at different positions.

For example, a composite image is generated by combining at least two of the fundus images IG1, IG2, and IG3. The fundus image IG1 is a UWF-SLO image captured by presenting a fixation target at the fundus conjugate position Fcj on the main optical axis AX (see FIG. 7). The fundus images IG2 and IG3 are UWF-SLO images captured by presenting a fixation target at the fundus conjugate position Fcj and at a position away from the main optical axis AX (see FIG. 8). Specifically, the UWF-SLO image captured by presenting a fixation target at the fundus conjugate position Fcj above the main optical axis AX is set as fundus image IG2, and the UWF-SLO image captured by presenting a fixation target below is set as fundus image IG3.

The server 140 uses the fundus image IG1 as a reference and performs image processing on the fundus images IG2 and IG3, such as pattern matching to match blood vessel portions, to combine the fundus images IG2 and IG3 and generate a processed image.

The processing unit 208 stores each of the fundus images, as well as the processed image (composite image), together with information about the patient (patient ID, name, age, visual acuity, right/left eye distinction, axial length, etc.) in the storage device 254 (see Figure 3).

The display control unit 204 may display the processed image on the display 256.

When an ophthalmologist diagnoses a patient's test eye 12, the patient ID is input into the viewer 150. The viewer 150, to which the patient ID has been input, instructs the server 140 to transmit image data of each image (IG1, IG4, etc.) along with the patient information corresponding to the patient ID. The viewer 150 receives the image data of each image (IG1, IG4) along with the patient information, generates a diagnostic screen 400 of the patient's test eye 12 shown in FIG. 19, and displays it on the display of the viewer 150.

Figure 19 shows the diagnostic screen 400 of the viewer 150. As shown in Figure 19, the diagnostic screen 400 has an information display area 402 and an image display area 404.

The information display area 402 displays information about the patient, such as the patient ID, the patient name, and the patient's gender. Although not shown in the figure, the information display area 402 can also display various information, such as the patient's age, vision, information indicating whether the image being displayed is for the right eye or the left eye, and axial length. Based on the received patient information, the viewer 150 displays information about the corresponding patient in the information display area 402.

The image display area 404 has a main image display area 404A and a composite image display area 404B. Based on the received image data, the viewer 150 displays an image (fundus image IG1 as the main image and fundus image IG4 as the composite image) corresponding to each display area (404A, 404B). Although not shown in the figure, the image display areas 404A and 404B can display the date of capture when the displayed image was obtained.

As shown in FIG. 20, the composite image, fundus image IG4, is an image created by combining fundus image IG2 when fixating upward and fundus image IG3 when fixating downward, using fundus image IG1 as a reference by pattern matching or the like to match blood vessel portions.

The image display area 404 can include a text display area that displays text information related to the image. An example of the text information is, for example, "The left area displays a fundus image when a fixation target is presented on the main optical axis AX. The right area displays an image that combines the fundus images when fixation targets are presented above and below."

In addition, various information useful for diagnosis can be displayed on the diagnostic screen 400, but this is omitted in the example shown in Figure 19.

The fixation unit 29 described above uses an optical element 29A that emits fluorescence when excited by energy from UV light, but the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to use a light-emitting plate that emits light when supplied with electrical energy instead of fluorescent glass. A fixation unit that uses a light-emitting plate that emits light when supplied with electrical energy will be described as the seventh modified example.

FIG. 21 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration example of the seventh modified example.
As shown in Fig. 21, the seventh modification includes a micro LED plate 500 as the fixation unit 29 instead of a fluorescent optical element such as fluorescent glass 290, and a power supply unit 510 instead of an energy source 29B that emits UV light. The micro LED plate 500 that functions as a fixation lamp is configured by incorporating a plurality of transparent LEDs 506 in a lattice pattern in a plate-shaped (e.g., flat) transparent material 502. In the example shown in Fig. 21, the micro LED plate 500 is shown to incorporate a total of 36 transparent LEDs 506, six in length and six in width.

The micro LED plate 500 has electrodes 504X and 504Y on its side edges. Each of the electrodes 504X and 504Y is connected to each of the multiple transparent LEDs 506 built into the transparent material 502, and is also connected to a power supply unit 510. The power supply unit 510 supplies power as energy to the micro LED plate 500 so that power is supplied to any one of the transparent LEDs 506 via the electrodes 504X and 504Y. In the example shown in FIG. 21, the light-emitting state of the transparent LED 506 in which power is supplied to the third transparent LED 506 from the top in the direction of the arrow Y and the second transparent LED 506 from the leftmost part in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow X is shown by a black circle. In this way, the power supply unit 510 supplies power to the specified transparent LED 506 via the electrodes 504X and 504Y, so that the specified transparent LED 506 emits light, and the position at which the light is emitted on the surface of the micro LED plate 500 can be changed in two dimensions.

Therefore, the micro LED plate 500 of the seventh modified example functions as an example of an "optical element" of the technology disclosed herein, and the power supply unit 510 functions as an example of an "energy source" of the technology disclosed herein.

The technology disclosed herein is not limited to a micro LED board incorporating multiple transparent LEDs as a light-emitting board to which electric power is supplied as energy. For example, it is possible to use a surface-emitting device that can specify a portion of the light-emitting surface and cause the specified portion to emit surface light.

In the seventh modified example, the following disclosed technology is proposed.
an optical element that is arranged at a position conjugate with a predetermined part of the eye in an imaging optical system that images the eye, a part activated by electric power emitting visible light, and the part emitting the visible light functioning as a fixation target that guides the direction of the eye;
a power supply unit that supplies power so that a portion of the optical element that functions as the fixation target is activated;
An ophthalmic device comprising:

Next, an application example of the technology disclosed herein will be illustrated. In this application example, an optical element that emits light when supplied with energy is used to illuminate an ophthalmic device. Note that the following application example has the same configuration as the above embodiment, so the same parts are given the same reference numerals and detailed explanations are omitted.

In general, when illuminating the subject's eye, a complex optical system is required to guide illumination light along the optical path of the main optical axis AX. On the other hand, as described above, the fluorescent glass 290 (optical element 29A) emits fluorescence when exposed to excitation light (UV light) and can be formed into a simple plate-like structure. For example, the fluorescent glass 290 formed into a plate shape can be placed on the optical path of the main optical axis AX, and can function as an illumination unit with a simple configuration in which excitation light is irradiated from the outside onto the fluorescent glass 290 by a UV lamp 291. In other words, the fluorescent glass 290 and the UV lamp 291 can function as an illumination unit that uses the fluorescence emitted by the fluorescent glass 290 as illumination light to illuminate the subject's eye 12.

Specifically, by placing the fluorescent glass 290 at the fundus conjugate position Fcj (retina conjugate position), it becomes possible to function as an illumination that illuminates any area of the fundus. In addition, by placing the fluorescent glass 290 at the pupil conjugate position Pcj (pupil conjugate position) of the subject's eye 12, it becomes possible to function as an illumination that can arbitrarily change the shape of the illumination light that illuminates the subject's eye 12 (e.g., ring, crescent, up and down, left and right, etc.).

The first application example is an application example in which a plate-shaped fluorescent glass 290 is placed at the fundus conjugate position Fcj (retina conjugate position). The first application example functions effectively when illuminating an arbitrary position on the fundus (retina) of the subject's eye 12.

Figure 22 shows a schematic configuration of the first application example. As shown in Figure 22, the illumination unit 600 includes a fluorescent glass 290 arranged at a fundus conjugate position Fcj upstream of the first lens group G1 on the subject's eye 12 side, and a UV lamp 291 that irradiates UV light onto the fluorescent glass 290.

As shown in FIG. 22, when the fluorescent glass 290 is placed at the fundus conjugate position Fcj (retina conjugate position), the eye 12 is turned toward a predetermined direction (e.g., the main optical axis AX) and the fluorescent glass 290 is selectively changed from one portion that emits fluorescence to another, thereby selectively illuminating only a specific region of the fundus (retina) of the eye 12. For example, by deflecting (e.g., by a deflection element 292) the optical path of the UV light emitted from the UV lamp 291, the position of the UV light from the UV lamp 291 can be selectively changed, i.e., two-dimensionally, on the surface of the fluorescent glass 290. In this case, for example, a fixation portion may be provided separately to turn the eye 12 toward a predetermined direction (e.g., the main optical axis AX).

In the example shown in FIG. 22, when UV light is irradiated by the UV lamp 291 at the intersection of the fluorescent glass 290 and the main optical axis AX, it emits fluorescent light on the optical path of the main optical axis AX. The fluorescent light-emitting area Lc becomes a point light source for illumination provided on the main optical axis AX, and can illuminate the intersection Lcm of the fundus of the test eye 12 and the main optical axis AX. On the other hand, when UV light is irradiated at any position other than the intersection of the fluorescent glass 290 and the main optical axis AX, it emits fluorescent light at any position on the fluorescent glass 290. The fluorescent light-emitting area Ls becomes a point light source for illumination provided outside the main optical axis AX, and can illuminate the intersection Lsm of the fundus of the test eye 12 and the main optical axis AX.

In the first application example, the following disclosed technology is proposed.
an optical element that is arranged at a position conjugate with the fundus of the eye in an imaging optical system that images the eye, and that emits light when activated by supplied energy;
an energy source that supplies energy so that a portion of the fundus corresponding to the set portion is activated while the eye is oriented in a predetermined direction;
An ophthalmic lighting device comprising:

The second application example is an application example in which a plate-shaped fluorescent glass 290 is placed at the pupil conjugate position Pcj (pupil conjugate position) of the subject's eye 12. The second application example functions effectively when illuminating the subject's eye 12 with illumination light in a predetermined shape.

Figure 23 shows a schematic configuration of the second application example. As shown in Figure 23, the illumination unit 610 includes a fluorescent glass 290 arranged at a fundus conjugate position Fcj upstream of the objective optical system 28 (first lens group G1 and second lens group G2), and a UV lamp 291 that irradiates UV light onto the fluorescent glass 290.

As shown in FIG. 23, when the fluorescent glass 290 is placed at the pupil conjugate position Pcj (pupil conjugate position), it is possible to illuminate the pupil (pupil 27) of the test eye 12 with illumination light of a specific shape while the test eye 12 is facing a specific direction (e.g., the main optical axis AX). That is, it is possible to pass the pupil of the test eye 12 with illumination light of a shape corresponding to the emission shape on the fluorescent glass 290. It is possible to illuminate a specific area of the fundus (retina) with the illumination light that has passed through the pupil of the test eye 12. For example, the shape of the UV light illuminating the pupil of the test eye 12 can be changed by deflecting (e.g., by a deflection element 292) the UV light emitted from the UV lamp 291 so that it has a specific shape on the fluorescent glass 290.

23, the UV lamp 291 irradiates the annular area Lu with UV light in a circular shape centered on the main optical axis AX, emitting fluorescence, and the annular area Lu becomes an annular light source for illumination that functions as a ring illumination, and the fluorescence from the annular light source is illuminated on the pupil (pupil 27) of the subject's eye 12. The pupil (pupil 27) of the subject's eye 12 becomes an annular light source at the area Lpc through which the fluorescence passes, making it possible to illuminate the area Luwf of the fundus of the subject's eye 12. In other words, it becomes possible to illuminate a fundus area with an internal irradiation angle of, for example, 160 degrees or more UWF (ultra-wide angle) by the objective optical system 28. By changing the size (e.g., diameter) of this annular area Lu, it is possible to adjust the size of the area Luwf of the fundus of the subject's eye 12.

In the second application example, the following disclosed technology is proposed.
an optical element that is arranged at a position conjugate with a pupil of the eye in an imaging optical system for imaging the eye, and that emits light when activated by supplied energy;
an energy source that supplies energy to activate a portion of the optical element having a predetermined shape while the eye is oriented in a predetermined direction;
An ophthalmic lighting device comprising:

The third application example is an application example in which a plate-shaped fluorescent glass 290 is placed at each of the pupil conjugate position Pcj (pupil conjugate position) and the fundus conjugate position Fcj (retina conjugate position). The third application example functions effectively when illuminating any position on the fundus (retina) of the subject's eye 12.

Figure 24 shows a schematic configuration of the third application example. As shown in Figure 24, fluorescent glass 290A is disposed at the fundus conjugate position Fcj between the first lens group G1 and the second lens group G2, and fluorescent glass 290A is disposed at the fundus conjugate position Fcj upstream of the objective optical system 28 (first lens group G1 and second lens group G2). In addition, UV light is irradiated onto each of fluorescent glass 290A and fluorescent glass 290B by UV lamp 291C. The fluorescent glass 290A and UV lamp 291C constitute the fixation unit 29 similar to the above embodiment, and the fluorescent glass 290B and UV lamp 291C constitute the illumination unit 620. In addition, FIG. 24 shows an example in which UV lamp 291C irradiates each of fluorescent glass 290A and fluorescent glass 290B with UV light, but a UV lamp may be provided independently for each of fluorescent glass 290A and fluorescent glass 290B.

It is preferable that fluorescent glass 290A and fluorescent glass 290B each have a different fluorescent wavelength.

As shown in FIG. 24, fluorescent glass 290A, 290B is placed at the pupil conjugate position Pcj and fundus conjugate position Fcj, respectively, and UV light is irradiated onto each of them, making it possible to illuminate the fundus (retina) of the subject's eye 12 while presenting a fixation target.

In the example shown in FIG. 24, the fluorescent area Arc becomes a fixation target by irradiation with UV light by the UV lamp 291, and the intersection Lfu between the fundus of the subject eye 12 and the main optical axis AX is illuminated. In addition, the fluorescent area Lu becomes an annular light source for illumination that functions as a ring illumination by irradiation with UV light by the UV lamp 291, making it possible to illuminate an ultra-wide-angle (UWF) fundus area.

In the third application example, the following disclosed technology is proposed.
a first optical element that is disposed at a position conjugate with a fundus of the eye in an imaging optical system that images the eye, a portion of which is activated by energy emits visible light, and the portion that has emitted the visible light functions as a fixation target that guides the orientation of the eye;
a second optical element that is arranged at a position conjugate with the pupil of the eye in an imaging optical system that images the eye, and a portion that is activated by the supplied energy emits light;
an energy source that supplies energy so that a portion of the first optical element that functions as the fixation target is activated, and supplies energy so that a portion of the second optical element that has a predetermined shape is activated;
An ophthalmic device comprising:

In the above description, the ophthalmic device 110 has a function of capturing an image of an area with an internal illumination angle of 200 degrees (167 degrees in terms of the external illumination angle based on the pupil of the eyeball of the subject eye 12) with the eyeball center O of the subject eye 12 as the reference position, for example, but is not limited to this angle of view. The internal illumination angle may be 200 degrees or more (external illumination angle may be 167 degrees or more and 180 degrees or less).

The specifications may also be such that the internal illumination angle is less than 200 degrees (external illumination angle is less than 167 degrees). For example, the internal illumination angle may be approximately 180 degrees (external illumination angle is approximately 140 degrees), approximately 156 degrees (external illumination angle is approximately 120 degrees), or approximately 144 degrees (external illumination angle is approximately 110 degrees). The values are merely examples.

Although each of the above examples illustrates a case where processing is realized by computer-based software, the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, instead of computer-based software, various processes may be executed only by hardware such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Some of the various processes may be executed by software, and the remaining processes may be executed by hardware.

In addition, in each of the examples described above, the term processor refers to a processor in a broad sense, including general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

In addition, the processor operations in each of the above embodiments may not only be performed by a single processor, but may also be performed by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of each processor operation is not limited to the order described in each of the above examples, and may be changed as appropriate.

Reference Signs List 12 Eye to be examined 14 Photography device 16 Control device 28 Objective optical system 29 Fixation unit 29A Optical element 29B Energy source 30 Wide-angle optical system 100 Ophthalmic system 110 Ophthalmic device 130 Network 140 Server 150 Viewer 290 Fluorescent glass

Claims (9)

A light source that irradiates ultraviolet light;
an optical element in which a portion activated by the ultraviolet light irradiated from the light source emits visible light, and the portion emitting the visible light functions as a fixation target for guiding a direction of the subject's eye;
The optical element includes a visible light emitting portion that emits the visible light and an ultraviolet light limiting portion that limits transmission of the ultraviolet light.
Ophthalmic equipment. Further comprising a change unit for changing the irradiation direction of the ultraviolet light irradiated from the light source.
The ophthalmic device according to claim 1 . The optical element emits fluorescent light as the visible light.
An ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. and a control unit that performs control so that the ultraviolet light is irradiated onto a portion of the optical element that functions as the fixation target, based on information input as a direction to guide the subject's eye.
The ophthalmic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . the optical element is disposed as an imaging optical system for imaging the subject's eye, and is disposed at a position conjugate with a part of the subject's eye;
The ophthalmic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . The optical element is disposed at a position conjugate with the retina or the pupil, which is the site.
An ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 5 . Further comprising an imaging unit for imaging the subject's eye.
The ophthalmic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 . A method for controlling an ophthalmic device executed by a processor, comprising:
The processor,
an optical element having a visible light emitting portion that emits visible light and an ultraviolet light restricting portion that restricts transmission of ultraviolet light, the portion activated by the ultraviolet light emitting visible light, and the portion that emitted the visible light functions as a fixation target that guides the orientation of the subject's eye, the optical element is controlled so that the ultraviolet light is irradiated onto the portion that functions as the fixation target.
A method for controlling an ophthalmic apparatus, comprising: A program stored in a storage medium and causing a processor to execute control of an ophthalmic apparatus,
The processor,
An optical element having a visible light emitting portion that emits visible light and an ultraviolet light restricting portion that restricts transmission of ultraviolet light, wherein a portion activated by the ultraviolet light emits visible light, and the portion that has emitted the visible light functions as a fixation target that guides the orientation of a subject's eye. When the ultraviolet light is irradiated onto the optical element,
and performing control so that the ultraviolet light is irradiated onto a portion of the optical element that functions as the fixation target, based on information input as a direction in which the subject's eye is to be guided.
A program that performs processing including the above.

Images