US 11,684,252 B2 · Ophthalmologic apparatus, and ophthalmologic information processing apparatus

Abstract

An ophthalmologic apparatus includes an optical scanner, an interference optical system, an intraocular distance calculator, an image correcting unit, and a controller. The optical scanner is disposed at an optically substantially conjugate position with a first site of a subject's eye. The interference optical system is configured to split light from a light source into reference light and measurement light, to project the measurement light onto the subject's eye via the optical scanner, and to detect interference light between returning light of the light from the subject's eye and the reference light via the optical scanner. The image forming unit is configured to form a tomographic image of the subject's eye corresponding a first traveling direction of the measurement light deflected by the optical scanner, based on a detection result of the interference light. The intraocular distance calculator is configured to obtain an intraocular distance between predetermined sites of the subject's eye based on the detection result of the interference light. The image correcting unit is configured to correct the tomographic image based on the intraocular distance. The controller is configured to control at least the optical scanner.

Drawings

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Drawings

Claims25

Dependent claims

An ophthalmologic apparatus, comprising:

an optical scanner disposed at a position with respect to a first site of a subject's eye;
an interference optical system configured to split light from a light source into reference light and measurement light, to project the measurement light onto the subject's eye via the optical scanner, and to detect interference light between returning light of the measurement light from the subject's eye and the reference light via the optical scanner;
an image forming circuit configured to form a tomographic image of the subject's eye corresponding a first traveling direction of the measurement light deflected by the optical scanner, based on a detection result of the interference light obtained by the interference optical system;
an intraocular distance calculator circuit configured to obtain an intraocular distance between predetermined sites of the subject's eye based on the detection result of the interference light;
an image correcting circuit configured to correct the tomographic image formed by the image forming circuit, based on the intraocular distance obtained by the intraocular distance calculator circuit;
and
a controller circuit configured to control at least the optical scanner, wherein
the image forming circuit is configured to form a plurality of tomographic images corresponding to a plurality of traveling directions of the measurement light deflected by the optical scanner,
the image correcting circuit is configured to correct each of the plurality of tomographic it aces formed by the image forming circuit based on the intraocular distance, and to generate a corrected image in which the corrected plurality of tomographic images is arranged along a direction corresponding to an optical axis direction of the interference optical system, and
the image correcting circuit is configured to correct each of the plurality of tomographic images so that the distance between the predetermined sites in each of the tomographic images becomes a constant value.

7 more elements

An ophthalmologic apparatus, comprising:

an optical scanner disposed at a position with respect to a first site of a subject's eye;
an interference optical system configured to split light from a light source into reference light and measurement light, to project the measurement light onto the subject's eye via the optical scanner, and to detect interference light between returning light of the measurement light from the subject's eye and the reference light via the optical scanner;
an image forming circuit configured to form a tomographic image of the subject's eye corresponding a first traveling direction of the measurement light deflected by the optical scanner, based on a detection result of the interference light obtained by the interference optical system;
an intraocular distance calculator circuit configured to obtain an intraocular distance between predetermined sites of the subject's eye based on the detection result of the interference light;
an image correcting circuit configured to correct the tomographic image formed by the image forming circuit, based on the intraocular distance obtained by the intraocular distance calculator circuit;
and
a controller circuit configured to control at least the optical scanner, wherein
the image forming circuit is configured to form a first tomographic image of the subject's eye and a second tomographic image of the subject's eye, the first tomographic image corresponding to the first traveling direction, the second tomographic image corresponding to a second traveling direction of the measurement light deflected by the optical scanner, and
the image correcting circuit is configured to correct each of the first tomographic image and the second tomographic image based on the intraocular distance, and to generate a corrected image in which the corrected first tomographic image is arranged along a direction passing through the first site and corresponding to the first traveling direction and the corrected second tomographic image is arranged along a direction passing through the first site and corresponding to the second traveling direction.

6 more elements

An ophthalmologic apparatus, comprising:

an optical scanner disposed at a position with respect to a first site of a subject's eye;
an interference optical system configured to split light from a light source into reference light and measurement light, to project the measurement light onto the subject's eye via the optical scanner, and to detect interference light between returning light of the measurement light from the subject's eye and the reference light via the optical scanner;
an image forming circuit configured to form a tomographic image of the subject's eye corresponding a first traveling direction of the measurement light deflected by the optical scanner, based on a detection result of the interference light obtained by the interference optical system;
an intraocular distance calculator circuit configured to obtain an intraocular distance between predetermined sites of the subject's eye based on the detection result of the interference light;
an image correcting circuit configured to correct the tomographic image formed by the image forming circuit based on the intraocular distance obtained by the intraocular distance calculator circuit;
and
a controller circuit configured to control at least the optical scanner, wherein
the image forming circuit is configured to form a third tomographic image of the subject's eye in a first depth range in a traveling direction of the measurement light and a fourth tomographic image of the subject's eye in a second depth range including the first depth range, the second depth range being longer than the first depth range,
the intraocular distance calculator circuit is configured to obtain the intraocular distance based on the third tomographic image, and
the image correcting circuit is configured to correct the fourth tomographic image based on the intraocular distance.

7 more elements

An ophthalmologic apparatus comprising:

an optical scanner disposed at position with respect to a first site of a subject's eye;
an interference optical system configured to split light from a light source into reference light and measurement light, to project the measurement light onto the subject's eye via the optical scanner, and to detect interference light between returning light of the measurement light from the subject's eye and the reference light via the optical scanner;
an image forming circuit configured to form a tomographic image of the subject's eye corresponding a first traveling direction of the measurement light deflected by the optical scanner, based on a detection result of the interference light obtained by the interference optical system;
an intraocular distance calculator circuit configured to obtain an intraocular distance between predetermined sites of the subject's eye based on the detection result of the interference light;
an image correcting circuit configured to correct the tomographic image formed by the image forming circuit based on the intraocular distance obtained by the intraocular distance calculator circuit;
a controller circuit configured to control at least the optical scanner;
and
an angle-of-view change circuit configured to change are angle of view, wherein
the image correcting circuit is configured to correct the tomographic image according to the angle of view changed by the angle-of-view change circuit,
when a first angle of view is set by the angle-of-view change circuit, the controller circuit is configured to cause the optical scanner to scan the subject's eye with the measurement light, to cause the image forming circuit to form a first image representing a first range of the subject's eye, to cause the image correcting circuit to correct the first image based on the intraocular distance, and to cause the corrected first image to be displayed on a display, and
when a second angle of view narrower than the first angle of view is set by the angle-of-view change circuit, the controller circuit is configured to cause the optical scanner to scan the subject's eye with the measurement light, to cause the image forming circuit to form a second image representing a second range of the subject's eye, and to cause the formed second image to the displayed on the display.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description12,576 words

Summary597 words

#The disclosure relates an ophthalmologic apparatus and an ophthalmologic information processing apparatus.

#In recent years, attention has been drawn to optical coherence tomography (OCT) which is used to form images representing the surface morphology and the internal morphology of an object using light beams emitted from a laser light source or the like. Since OCT does not have invasiveness to human body as X-ray CT (Computed Tomography) does, development of application of OCT in medical field and biology field is particularly expected. For example, in the ophthalmologic field, apparatuses for forming images of the fundus, the cornea, or the like have been in practical use. Such an apparatus using OCT imaging (OCT apparatus) can be used to observe a variety of sites of a subject's eye. In addition, because of the ability to acquire high precision images, the OCT apparatus is applied to the diagnosis of various eye diseases.

#In case of acquiring a tomographic image of a predetermined site in the eye of the subject's eye using OCT, measurement light for scanning the predetermined site is made to enter the eye from a pupil, and the measurement light is deflected around a position near the pupil, for example. The eyeball optical system has different aberrations depending on the deflection direction of the measurement light. Thereby, distortion occurs in the acquired tomographic image. When the angle of view is narrow enough, the influence of distortion is small. However, when the angle of view is wide, the influence of distortion cannot be ignored.

Brief description of the drawings13 figures

#FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an ophthalmologic apparatus according to embodiments.

#FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of the ophthalmologic apparatus according to the embodiments.

#FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an example of an operation of the ophthalmologic apparatus according to the embodiments.

Detailed description11,718 words

#In conventional techniques, for a plurality of eyes having various axial lengths, it is necessary to calculate in advance the correction amount of the scanning angle corresponding to all the pixels in the scannable range of the scanning means. Therefore, when the angle of view is large, it is difficult to accurately correct the distortion of the tomographic image for each of subject's eyes having various eyeball optical systems.

#According to some embodiments of the present invention, an ophthalmologic apparatus and a ophthalmologic information processing apparatus capable of correcting distortion of a tomographic image of a subject's eye with high accuracy even when an angle of view is large can be provided.

#Referring now to the drawings, exemplary embodiments of an ophthalmologic apparatus and an ophthalmologic information processing apparatus according to the present invention are described below. In the embodiments, any of the techniques disclosed in the documents cited in the present specification can be applied to the embodiments below.

Facts

Application

16/885,305Filed 28 May 2020 · continuation

Priority

JP JP2018-04974416 Mar 2018

Published

US 2020/0288966 A117 Sep 2020

Granted

27 Jun 2023

Term ends

29 Dec 2039

Estimated · how

20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment, including 297 days of adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification5 codes

A61B 3/0025
Operational features thereof: characterised by electronic signal processing, e.g. eye models
A61B 3/102
Objective types, i.e. instruments for examining the eyes independent of the patients' perceptions or reactions: for optical coherence tomography [OCT]
A61B 3/1005
Objective types, i.e. instruments for examining the eyes independent of the patients' perceptions or reactions: for measuring distances inside the…
A61B 3/1225
For looking at the eye fundus, e.g. ophthalmoscopes: using coherent radiation

Timeline

16 Mar 2018Priority claimedJP JP2018-049744
28 May 2020Application filedUS 16/885,305
28 May 2020Assigned to Topcon Corporationassignment of assignor's interest
17 Sep 2020PublishedUS 2020/0288966 A1
27 Jun 2023GrantedUS 11,684,252 B2
12 Oct 2026TodayWithin its term
29 Dec 2039Term endsEstimated, includes 297 days of adjustment

Ophthalmologic apparatus, and ophthalmologic information processing apparatus

Life of this patent

Ophthalmologic apparatus, and ophthalmologic information processing apparatus

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims25

Description12,576 words

Drawings

Classification5 codes

Life of this patent

Description12,576 words