Image processing apparatus and image processing method

An imaging apparatus comprising:

• a planar image acquisition unit configured to acquire a polarization-sensitive planar image of a subject;
• a tomographic image acquisition unit configured to acquire a tomographic intensity image of the subject based on beams of different polarizations obtained by splitting a combined beam into which a return beam from the subject irradiated with a measuring beam via a scanning unit and a reference beam corresponding to the measuring beam have been combined;
• a display control unit configured to cause a display unit to display the polarization-sensitive planar image and an index indicating a position of the tomographic intensity image with the index being superimposed on the polarization-sensitive planar image;
• an instruction unit configured to instruct a change in a position of the index on the polarization-sensitive planar image, and
• a control unit configured to control the scanning unit so that scanning with the irradiated measuring beam is performed at a position, of the subject, corresponding to the position, on the polarization-sensitive planar image, indicated by the index.

An imaging method comprising:

• acquiring a planar image of a subject;
• acquiring a polarization-sensitive tomographic image of the subject based on beams of different polarizations obtained by splitting a combined beam into which a return beam from the subject irradiated with a measuring beam via a scanning unit and a reference beam corresponding to the measuring beam have been combined;
• causing a display unit to display the planar image and an index indicating a position of the polarization-sensitive tomographic image with the index being superimposed on the planar image;
• instructing a change in a position of the index on the planar image, and
• controlling the scanning unit so that scanning with the irradiated measuring beam is performed at a position, of the subject, corresponding to the position, on the planar image, indicated by the index.

An imaging method comprising:

• acquiring a polarization-sensitive planar image of a subject;
• acquiring a tomographic intensity image of the subject based on beams of different polarizations obtained by splitting a combined beam into which a return beam from the subject irradiated with a measuring beam via a scanning unit and a reference beam corresponding to the measuring beam have been combined;
• causing a display unit to display the polarization-sensitive planar image and an index indicating a position of the tomographic intensity image with the index being superimposed on the polarization-sensitive planar image;
• instructing a change in a position of the index on the polarization-sensitive planar image, and
• controlling the scanning unit so that scanning with the irradiated measuring beam is performed at a position, of the subject, corresponding to the position, on the polarization-sensitive planar image, indicated by the index.