Ophthalmic imaging instrument and ophthalmic imaging method

An ophthalmic examination method, the method comprising:

• illuminating a retina of an eye of a patient under examination by visible light via a visible light illumination channel, and/or illuminating the retina of the eye of the patient under examination by near-infrared light via a near-infrared illumination channel;
• receiving light from the retina of the eye illuminated by the visible light and/or the near-infrared light via an imaging channel;
• outputting fixation image content, via a target channel, to a patient whose eye is under the examination to fix of a gaze direction of the patient;
• wherein at least one of the following illumination alignment arrangements is associated with a cornea:
• a cornea spot illumination z-aid channel configured to generate near-infrared alignment beam directed to the cornea, and a cornea xyz alignment arrangement configured to generate cornea xyz-aid illumination beams of infrared light, the cornea xyz alignment arrangement being an operational pair with a fundus camera sensor that is configured to capture at least one still image and/or video of a reflection of infrared light of the cornea xyz alignment arrangements on the cornea;
• wherein at least one of the following illumination alignment arrangements is associated with the anterior part of the eye:
• an iris spot z-aid illumination channel, which is configured to generate near-infrared alignment beam directed to the iris, and a posterior spot z-aid illumination channel, which is configured to generate near-infrared alignment beam directed to a posterior surface of the crystalline lens;
• the method further comprising:
• employing at least one camera channel arrangement, the at least one camera channel arrangement being selected from the group consisting of a first pupil camera channel configured to convey light from the anterior part of the eye to capture of at least one still image and/or video by a first pupil camera sensor, and a second pupil camera channel to image capture the anterior part of the eye by a second pupil camera sensor;
• and
• determining, via a processor, an optimal positional alignment of the eye to image a fundus of the eye by the fundus camera sensor based on the at least one still image and/or video of the reflection on the cornea and at least one of the following captured by either of the first or second pupil camera sensor:
• the reflection of the alignment beam on the iris and the reflection of the alignment beam on the posterior surface of the crystalline lens.