Oct apparatus

Abstract

To provide an OCT apparatus which is easy even for an unfamiliar examiner to photograph an anterior eye part with.SOLUTION: An OCT apparatus includes: an OCT optical system which irradiates a measuring beam to a part to be photographed of the eye to be tested and detects a spectral interference signal between the measuring beam and reference light; an observation optical system which irradiates observation light to the part to be photographed and acquires a front image of the observation part on the basis of reflectance of the observation light from the observation part; changing means which changes the part to be photographed in the OCT optical system and the observation optical system between the ocular fundus and the anterior eye part of the eye to be tested; a drive part which moves a photography unit including the OCT optical system and the observation optical system to the eye to be tested; and a control part. When the anterior eye part of the eye to be tested is the part to be photographed, the control part displays the front image of the anterior eye part that is acquired successively via the observation optical system to a first area on a screen and receives an operation input for controlling the drive part via the first area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to OCT devices. [Background technology]

[0002] In the field of ophthalmology, there is known an optical coherence tomography (OCT) device that captures a tomographic image of tissue of a subject's eye, and that selectively captures fundus OCT and anterior segment OCT by switching the optical system. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a device that can easily capture anterior segment OCT by attaching an adapter lens to the fundus OCT. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-138904 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in devices capable of easily capturing anterior segment OCT images, the operability of the device when capturing anterior segment OCT images has not been fully considered. In response to this, the present disclosure has been made in consideration of the problems of the conventional technology, and has as its technical objective the provision of an OCT device that allows even an inexperienced examiner to easily capture anterior segment OCT images. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An OCT device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an OCT optical system that irradiates a photographing site of a test eye with measurement light and detects a spectral interference signal between the measurement light and a reference light, an observation optical system that irradiates observation light to the photographing site and obtains a front image of the observation site based on reflected light of the observation light from the observation site, a change means that changes the photographing site in the OCT optical system and the observation optical system between the fundus and anterior segment of the test eye, a drive unit that moves a photographing unit including the OCT optical system and the observation optical system relative to the test eye, and a control unit, and when the anterior segment of the test eye is the photographing site, the control unit displays front images of the anterior segment sequentially obtained via the observation optical system in a first area on a screen and accepts operation input for controlling the drive unit via the first area. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an OCT device that allows even an inexperienced examiner to easily capture anterior segment OCT images. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a device configuration of an OCT device in an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an apparatus when photographing the anterior eye segment. [Diagram 3] 1 is a flowchart showing a flow of operations in an embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 shows a photographing screen in a fundus mode in the embodiment. [Diagram 5] 11 shows a photographing screen in an anterior eye mode according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] "overview" The OCT device exemplified in the present disclosure includes at least an OCT optical system, an observation optical system, a change unit, a drive unit, and a control unit. The OCT optical system irradiates a measurement light to an imaging site of the test eye, and detects a spectral interference signal between the measurement light and a reference light. The observation optical system irradiates an observation light to the imaging site, and is used to acquire a front image of the observation site based on the reflected light of the observation light from the observation site. The change unit changes the imaging site of the test eye in the OCT optical system and the observation optical system between the fundus and the anterior segment of the test eye. The drive unit moves the imaging unit including the OCT optical system and the observation optical system relative to the test eye. When the anterior segment of the test eye is the imaging site, the control unit displays the front image of the anterior segment sequentially acquired via the observation optical system in a first area on the screen. When the anterior segment of the test eye is the imaging site, the control unit receives an operation input for controlling the drive unit via the first area.

[0009] When the anterior segment of the test eye is the photographed area, the position of the photographing unit relative to the test eye can be confirmed via the first area in which the sequentially acquired frontal images of the anterior segment are displayed, and operations for moving the photographing unit can be input, making it easy for the examiner to adjust the position of the photographing unit in the anterior segment mode.

[0010] Furthermore, when the anterior segment of the subject's eye is the imaging site, the control unit may receive an operation input specifying a position on the front image of the anterior segment in the first area via a pointing device. Furthermore, when the anterior segment of the subject's eye is the imaging site, the control unit may move the imaging unit in the XY directions relative to the subject's eye so that the tissue of the anterior segment displayed at the specified position is displayed at a predetermined position in the first area. This causes the optical axes of the OCT optical system and the observation optical system to move in the XY directions.

[0011] Since the photographing unit is moved so that the tissue of the anterior eye displayed at a specified position in the first area when the pointing device is operated is displayed at a predetermined position in the first area, the photographing unit can be easily moved to a position desired by the examiner. A rough scan position in the XY directions of the anterior eye OCT is determined according to the position of the photographing unit in the XY directions relative to the subject's eye. Therefore, the scan position in the XY directions of the anterior eye OCT is easily adjusted based on an operation input that specifies a position on the front image of the anterior eye in the first area.

[0012] However, other operation inputs may be adopted as the operation input via the pointing device. For example, when the front image of the anterior eye displayed in the first area is dragged by the pointing device, the driving unit may be controlled so that the photographing unit 2 is moved in the opposite direction to the drag movement direction according to the drag movement direction and the movement amount. The control unit may also receive the operation input via a touch panel. The touch panel is provided with a first area, and in the anterior eye mode, the front image of the anterior eye is displayed in the first area. In this case, the driving unit may be controlled based on a flick operation, a rotation gesture operation, or a long tap operation on the first area detected by the touch panel, and the position of the photographing unit 2 with respect to the subject's eye E may be adjusted (for details of the operation input and the operation of the driving unit according to the operation input, see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-205078 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-176545 by the present applicant).

[0013] When the fundus of the subject's eye is the imaging site, the control unit displays the front image of the fundus sequentially acquired through the observation optical system in the first area, and receives an operation input for changing the scan position on the fundus in the XY direction through the first area. In this case, the control unit changes the scan position on the fundus in the XY direction by controlling at least one of the OCT optical system and the fixation optical system. In this way, in both cases where the imaging site is the anterior segment or the fundus, the operation received through the first area is an operation for changing the scan position in the XY direction, so that even an inexperienced examiner can easily understand how to operate the device.

[0014] The position of the first area on the screen may be constant between when the imaging site is the anterior segment and when the imaging site is the fundus. The screen layout other than the first area may also be the same. This makes it easier for even an inexperienced examiner to understand how to operate the device.

[0015] The OCT device may also include a second observation optical system different from the observation optical system. The second observation optical system is used to observe the anterior segment of the test eye when the fundus of the test eye is the imaging site. When the fundus of the test eye is the imaging site, the control unit displays a front image of the anterior segment sequentially acquired via the second observation optical system as a second observation image in the second region. This makes it easier to adjust the position of the photographing unit relative to the test eye by using an observation image based on the front image of the anterior segment when the fundus of the test eye is the imaging site. Automatic alignment and tracking may also be performed based on the second observation image. The observation optical system and the second observation optical system may have different light sources and light receiving elements (imaging elements).

[0016] The control unit may stop display control of the second observation image in the second region when the anterior segment of the subject's eye is the photographing region. When the anterior segment of the subject's eye is the photographing region, it becomes difficult to obtain an appropriate front image of the anterior segment by the second observation optical system, so that the display control of the second observation image in the second region is stopped and the observation image of the anterior segment obtained through the observation optical system is displayed in the first region, which makes it difficult for the examiner to misunderstand the adjustment state of the position of the photographing unit 2 relative to the subject's eye E.

[0017] A third area may be arranged on the screen together with the first area. The control unit may display, in the third area, live images of the subject's eye that are sequentially acquired through the OCT optical system.

[0018] "Example" An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. An OCT device 1 according to the embodiment acquires OCT data of a subject's eye. In the OCT device 1 of the embodiment, OCT data of the fundus and OCT data of the anterior segment are selectively captured.

[0019] First, the configuration of the OCT device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 shows the device configuration in a state where OCT data of the fundus can be captured. Figure 2 shows the device configuration in a state where OCT data of the anterior segment can be captured. Figure 2 differs from Figure 1 in that an anterior segment attachment 65 is attached to the photographing unit 2.

[0020] In the description of the embodiment, the axial direction of the subject's eye E is defined as the Z direction, the horizontal direction as the X direction, and the vertical direction as the Y direction.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an OCT device 1 according to the embodiment includes an imaging unit 2, a driving section 5, and a control section .

[0022] <Measurement part> The imaging unit 2 has the main optical system in the OCT apparatus 1. In this embodiment, the imaging unit 2 has an OCT optical system (interference optical system) 10, a first observation optical system (SLO optical system) 30, and a second observation optical system 40 (anterior eye segment observation optical system). The optical paths of the OCT optical system 10, the first observation optical system 30, and the second observation optical system 40 are branched / joined by beam splitters / combiners 16, 17.

[0023] <OCT optical system> The OCT optical system 10 detects the spectral interference signal between the measurement light and the reference light irradiated to the eye to be examined. The OCT optical system 10 may be, for example, SD-OCT, SS-OCT, or OCT based on other imaging principles.

[0024] The OCT optical system 10 has at least an OCT light source 11, an optical splitter 12, a reference optical system 20, and a detector 25. Note that although the reference optical system 20 in this embodiment will be described as a reflective optical system, it may be a transmissive optical system.

[0025] The OCT light source 11 emits low-coherence light. The light emitted from the OCT light source 11 is split by the optical splitter 12 into measurement light and reference light. In this embodiment, a coupler (splitter) is used as the optical splitter 12. The measurement light is guided to the eye to be examined through the light guiding optical system 10a, and the reference light is guided to the reference optical system 20. In FIG. 1, a polarizer 13 is disposed on the reference optical path. The reference light is reflected by a mirror (not shown) disposed on the reference optical path and enters the detector 25 in a state of being combined with the return light of the measurement light by the optical splitter 12. Thereby, the spectral interference signal between the return light and the reference light is detected. For example, in SD-OCT, a spectrometer is used as the detector 25.

[0026] In this embodiment, the mirror (not shown) on which the reference optical system 20 is disposed is movable along the optical axis, and the optical path length difference between the measurement light and the reference light is adjusted according to the position of the mirror. Also, the polarization of the measurement light and the reference light is adjusted by the polarizer 13.

[0027] Additionally, on the optical path between the light splitter 12 and the eye E to be examined, a focusing lens 14, a scanning unit (optical scanner) 15, and an objective lens 60 are arranged.

[0028] In this embodiment, the focus position in the OCT optical system 10 is changed by displacing the focusing lens 14 in the optical axis direction.

[0029] The scanning unit 15 is used to change the acquisition position of the OCT image. The scanning unit 15 may be used to two-dimensionally scan the measurement light on the imaging site of the subject's eye. The scanning unit 15 may include, for example, two optical scanners having different scanning directions. Each optical scanner may be a galvanometer mirror or another optical scanner.

[0030] The objective lens 60 guides the measurement light to a photographing site in the subject's eye. The measurement light is rotated via the objective lens 60 with a position conjugate with the scanning unit 15 as the rotation point. As shown in Fig. 1, when the anterior segment of the subject's eye is located at the rotation point, the measurement light reaches the fundus without being vignetted by the iris, and the measurement light scans the fundus based on the driving of the scanning unit 15. In this case, the focusing surface of the measurement light is formed on the fundus.

[0031] <Anterior eye attachment> In this embodiment, the anterior eye attachment 65 is used to change the photographing site in the OCT optical system 10 and the first observation optical system 30 between the fundus and the anterior eye of the subject's eye E. As shown in FIG. 2, when acquiring an anterior eye OCT, the anterior eye attachment 65 (attachment lens 65a) is inserted between the objective lens 60 and the subject's eye E. This changes the scanning mode of the measurement light between acquiring the fundus OCT and acquiring the anterior eye OCT. By inserting the attachment lens 65a, the measurement light is irradiated telecentrically to acquire the anterior eye OCT. Furthermore, by inserting the attachment lens 65a, the focusing state of the measurement light is changed so that the focusing surface of the measurement light is located at the anterior eye.

[0032] <First observation optical system> The first observation optical system 30 is used to obtain a front image of the imaging site as an observation image. When the anterior eye attachment 65 is not attached (retracted), a front image of the fundus is obtained as an observation image via the first observation optical system 30. When the anterior eye attachment 65 is attached, a front image of the anterior eye is obtained as an observation image via the first observation optical system 30.

[0033] 1, an SLO optical system is shown as an example of the first observation optical system 30. The first observation optical system 30 may have at least an irradiation optical system and a light receiving optical system. The irradiation optical system irradiates an imaging site of the subject's eye with observation light. The light receiving optical system receives fundus reflection light due to the observation light by a light receiving element 39. Observation images are sequentially acquired based on an output signal from the light receiving element 30.

[0034] The first observation optical system 30 further includes a focus adjustment section, which includes a focusing lens .

[0035] For example, a laser diode light source is used as the observation light source 31. In addition to the focusing lens 34, a scanning unit 35 and an objective lens 60 are arranged in the observation light path. The scanning unit 35 two-dimensionally scans the imaging site of the subject's eye with light. The scanning unit 35 may include, for example, a combination of a polygon mirror and a galvano scanner.

[0036] A beam splitter 33 is disposed between the observation light source 31 and the focusing lens 34. A confocal aperture 37 and a light receiving element 39 are disposed in the transmission direction of the beam splitter 33.

[0037] The observation light is reflected by the beam splitter 33 and then passes through a focusing lens 34 to reach a scanning unit 35. The light passing through the scanning unit 35 passes through a beam splitter 17 and then passes through an objective lens 60 to be irradiated onto a region of the subject's eye to be photographed.

[0038] The light reflected from the imaging region is guided back along the light projection path to the beam splitter 33. The light reflected from the imaging region passes through the beam splitter 33 and is received by the light receiving element 39 via the confocal aperture 37. Based on a light receiving signal from the light receiving element 39, a front image of the imaging region is formed. The formed front image may be stored in the memory 72.

[0039] <Second observation optical system> The second observation optical system 40 is used to observe a front image (referred to as an observation image) of the anterior segment of the subject's eye E. The second observation optical system 40 has at least an imaging element 45. In this embodiment, when the imaging site of the OCT optical system 10 and the first observation optical system 30 is the fundus, an image of the anterior segment is formed on the imaging element 45. That is, when the anterior segment attachment 65 is not attached, the imaging element 45 and the anterior segment are in a substantially conjugate relationship. The observation image of the anterior segment acquired via the second observation optical system 40 is used for alignment of the photographing unit 2 with the subject's eye E when photographing the fundus.

[0040] <Fixation projection optical system> The OCT device 1 further includes a fixation target projection optical system. The fixation target projection optical system may be an internal fixation lamp. The fixation target projection optical system guides the gaze direction of the subject's eye E by projecting a fixation target (fixation light beam) onto the subject's eye E. In this embodiment, the fixation target projection optical system can change the presentation position of the fixation target two-dimensionally and can guide the subject's eye E in a plurality of directions. As a result, the imaging site is changed. In this embodiment, the fixation projection optical system is shared by the first observation optical system 30, which is an SLO optical system. A visible light source different from the observation light source is provided, and the timing of projecting the visible light is controlled, so that the fixation target is projected onto the subject's eye E.

[0041] <Drive unit> The driving unit 5 moves the photographing unit 3 in each of the X, Y and Z directions relative to the subject's eye E. The driving unit 5 has an actuator for moving the photographing unit 2 in each direction, and is driven based on a control signal from the control unit 70.

[0042] <Control system> Next, the control system of the OCT device 1 will be described.

[0043] The control unit 70 of the OCT device 1 controls various operations in the OCT device 1. In this embodiment, various image processing operations are performed by the control unit 70. That is, the control unit 70 also functions as an image processor. The control unit 70 may be configured with, for example, a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM.

[0044] In this embodiment, the control unit 70 is connected to a monitor 80 and controls the display of the monitor 80. Furthermore, the control unit 70 is connected to a memory 72, an operation unit 85, and the like.

[0045] In this embodiment, the operation unit 85 may have a pointing device such as a mouse. The monitor 80 may be a touch panel display, in which case the monitor 80 also serves as the operation unit 85. The monitor 80 and the operation unit 85 may be located at a remote location from the OCT device 1 via a network or the like.

[0046] <Operation description> Next, the operation of the OCT device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG. 5. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the flow of the operation during shooting. Various operations during shooting are input via the shooting screen 100 shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. FIG. 4 shows a screen configuration when shooting OCT data of the fundus. FIG. 5 shows a screen configuration when shooting OCT data of the anterior eye. The shooting screen 100 of this embodiment is provided with at least a first area 110, a second area 120, and a third area 130 as display areas in which an image of the subject's eye acquired via an optical system is displayed. The first area 110 is used to display a front image of the shooting site. For example, an observation image acquired via the first observation optical system 30 may be displayed in the first area 110. The second area 120 displays a second observation image acquired via the second observation optical system 40. The third area 130 is used to display an OCT image of the shooting site. For example, a real-time B-scan image may be displayed in the first area 110. 4 and 5, whether capturing OCT data of the fundus or the anterior segment, the layout of the display areas 110, 120, and 130 on the photographing screen 100 is constant. In addition, on the photographing screen 100, various user interfaces for setting photographing conditions and displaying the status of the device are arranged (details will be described later).

[0047] For example, in this embodiment, first, the imaging region and the scan pattern are set (S1). Various types of OCT scan patterns are known, such as line, cross, multi, map, radial, and circle. In the OCT device 1 of this embodiment, a plurality of combinations of one or more scan patterns are prepared in advance according to the disease and the purpose. In each combination, the imaging region is determined in advance for each scan pattern. The examiner can select any one of the combinations according to the disease and the purpose by operating the scan pattern selection unit 140.

[0048] The details of each scan pattern included in the selected combination are reflected in the contents of list 150. In list 150 of Figs. 4 and 5, text indicating the scan settings for each scan is displayed. The text includes the subject eye (either left or right), the body part to be photographed, and the scan pattern as the scan settings. The subject eye can be selected and changed by operating subject eye selection button 160.

[0049] The imaging is performed sequentially according to the scan settings displayed in the list 150. Usually, the imaging is performed in order from the top to the bottom of the list 150. When the scan settings for the next imaging (which will be performed the next time the capture button 180 is operated) are selected, the text corresponding to the selected scan settings is highlighted on the list 150. In addition, the scan settings for the next imaging can be changed by performing a selection operation with a pointing device on the text corresponding to the examiner's desired scan settings.

[0050] <Fundus mode> When the scan setting for fundus photography is selected, the control unit 70 sets the photography mode of the device to the fundus mode (S2: fundus mode). In this case, the examiner retracts the anterior eye attachment 65.

[0051] In the fundus mode, the control unit 70 controls each of the first observation optical system 30 and the second observation optical system 40 to obtain an observation image and display it on the photographing screen 100 (see FIG. 4).

[0052] After that, alignment is performed automatically or manually (S3). Based on the observation image of the anterior eye displayed in the second area 120, the position of the photographing unit 2 relative to the subject's eye E is adjusted. In adjusting the position of the photographing unit 2, an alignment index may be projected onto the cornea of ​​the subject's eye, and an index image reflected in the observation image of the anterior eye may be used (for details, see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-195874 filed by the present applicant). As a result of the alignment, the optical axes of the OCT optical system 10 and the first observation optical system 30 are adjusted in the XY directions so as to pass through the pupil. As a result, the observation image of the fundus acquired via the first observation optical system 30 is displayed in the first area 110. In addition, in the Z direction, the working distance from the subject's eye E to the photographing unit 2 is adjusted to a predetermined value (tolerance range).

[0053] When at least the alignment is completed, the control unit 70 controls the OCT optical system 10 to start acquiring OCT data of the subject's eye E.

[0054] In this embodiment, after the alignment is completed, the examiner operates the optimize button 170 to execute the adjustment process of the OCT optical system 10 (S4). In the adjustment process of this embodiment, as an example, the optical path length difference, the focus, and the polarization are each adjusted. By adjusting the optical path length difference according to the axial length of the examinee's eye, a tomographic image of the fundus is displayed in the third area 130. By adjusting the focus and the polarization, it becomes possible to capture a tomographic image with good image quality.

[0055] In this embodiment, a graphic (hereinafter, referred to as a scan line SL) indicating a scan position (scan line) is superimposed on the fundus observation image in the first area 110. The scan line SL is superimposed on a scan position corresponding to a selected scan setting (scan pattern). In this embodiment, an operation for moving the position of the scan line SL may be input on the first area 110, and the scan position on the fundus may be changed based on the operation. As an operation for moving the position of the scan line SL, any of the following may be used: translation, rotation, movement of an end point, or movement of an intersection point (of multiple scan lines).

[0056] For example, the presentation position of a fixation target may be changeable via the fundus observation image in the first area 110. For example, when the examiner selects one point on the fundus observation image, the presentation position of the fixation target may be controlled so that the one point is located at the center of the image in the first area 110.

[0057] By operating the capture button 180, an OCT image is captured at a preset scan position (S5). The capture results may be displayed on the monitor 80 each time the examiner checks them. If the capture is successful, it is stored in the memory 72, and if it is unsuccessful, the capture may be performed again.

[0058] In this embodiment, if imaging has not been completed for any of the scan settings shown in list 150, the process returns to S1 and continues. At this time, the combination of scan patterns is carried over, and any of the scan settings shown in list 150 that have not yet been imaged may be automatically selected as the next scan setting. On the other hand, in this embodiment, if imaging has been completed for all of the scan settings shown in list 150, the series of imaging operations ends (S6: imaging completed).

[0059] <Anterior segment mode> The anterior eye mode will be described. When the scan setting for fundus photography is selected, the control unit 70 sets the photography mode of the device to the anterior eye mode (S2: anterior eye mode). In this case, the examiner wears the anterior eye attachment 65. In the anterior eye mode of this embodiment, the position of the focus lens 14 in the OCT optical system 10 and the optical path length difference between the measurement light and the reference light (the position of a mirror not shown in the reference optical system 20) are adjusted to predetermined positions. The same is true for the position of the focus lens 34 in the first observation optical system 30. Thereafter, in the anterior eye mode, the movements of the position of the focus lens 14 in the OCT optical system 10, the optical path length difference between the measurement light and the reference light, and the position of the focus lens 34 in the first observation optical system 30 are restricted. For details, please refer to, for example, "JP Patent Publication No. 2011-147609" by the present applicant.

[0060] In the anterior eye mode, the control unit 70 controls the first observation optical system 30 to acquire a front image of the anterior eye as an observation image and display it on the photographing screen 100 (see FIG. 5). The control unit 70 also controls the OCT optical system 10 to start acquiring OCT data. The OCT data acquired at any time is displayed in the third area 130.

[0061] On the other hand, in the anterior eye mode, the second observation optical system 40 does not focus on the anterior eye. If an unfocused anterior eye front image is displayed in the second region 120 in the anterior eye mode, the examiner may misunderstand that the position of the photographing unit 2 relative to the subject's eye E is in an inappropriate state even if the position is appropriately adjusted. Therefore, the control unit 70 controls the second observation optical system 40 and the anterior eye illumination so as not to obtain the second observation image via the second observation optical system 40, and further controls the display of the second region 120.

[0062] Thereafter, alignment is performed automatically or manually (S7). Based on the observed image of the anterior eye portion displayed in the first area 110, the position of the photographing unit 2 with respect to the subject's eye E is adjusted.

[0063] Here, an example of a manual alignment method is shown. An operation input for moving the photographing unit 2 is accepted via the first area 110 (and the observed image of the anterior eye displayed in the first area 110). For example, regarding the XY directions, when a position is specified on the observed image of the anterior eye via a pointing device, the photographing unit 2 moves relative to the subject's eye E so that the tissue of the anterior eye displayed at the specified position is displayed at a predetermined position in the first area 110.

[0064] In this embodiment, the predetermined position within the first region 110 is the center of the first region 110. However, this is not necessarily limited to this, and other positions can be appropriately adopted as the predetermined position.

[0065] Regarding the Z direction, first, while referring to the observation image displayed in the first area 110, the photographing unit 2 is roughly moved in a direction in which the observation image is in focus. When the result of the movement is that OCT data of the anterior eye segment is depicted in the third area 130, the position of the photographing unit 2 is adjusted in the Z direction so that an image of a desired depth region of the anterior eye segment is depicted in the third area 130.

[0066] In order to move the photographing unit 2 in the Z direction, the control unit 70 is required to perform an operation different from the operation for moving the photographing unit 2 in the XY direction. For example, in Figs. 4 and 5, the photographing unit 2 is moved in the Z direction by operating the forward and backward movement buttons 190a and 190b. The forward and backward movement buttons 190a and 190b are two buttons corresponding to forward and backward, respectively. The control unit 70 continuously moves the photographing unit 2 in the direction corresponding to the pressed button. In this case, the movement amount of the photographing unit 2 is proportional to the time the button is pressed. However, the operation for moving the photographing unit 2 in the Z direction is not necessarily limited to this, and various other operations can be used in combination or instead. For example, when a mouse is used as a pointing device, a wheel operation of the mouse may be used. In this case, when the cursor C (pointer) on the photographing screen 100 is located in the first area 110, the control unit 70 may move the photographing unit 2 in the Z direction by inputting a wheel operation. The amount of movement of the photographing unit 2 may be determined according to the amount of operation of the wheel. In addition, if the monitor 80 is a touch panel display, pinch-in / pinch-out on the first area 110 may be used.

[0067] In the anterior eye mode of this embodiment, the working distance is shorter than that in the fundus mode as a result of the attachment of the anterior eye attachment 65. In response to this, the drive unit 5 may be controlled so that the moving speed of the photographing unit 3 in the anterior eye mode is slower than that in the fundus mode. In addition, when the moving amount of the photographing unit 3 is determined according to the input amount (operation amount) like the operation for moving in the Z direction in this embodiment, the drive unit 5 may be controlled so that the moving amount relative to the input amount (operation amount) in the anterior eye mode is smaller than that in the fundus mode.

[0068] In this way, in the anterior eye mode, the position of the photographing unit 2 relative to the subject's eye E can be confirmed via the first area 110, and an operation for moving the photographing unit 2 can be input, so that the examiner can easily adjust the position of the photographing unit 2 in the anterior eye mode. Furthermore, although the second observation optical system 40 becomes unfocused in the anterior eye mode, the anterior eye front image is not displayed in the second area 120 in the anterior eye mode, so that the examiner is less likely to misunderstand the adjusted state of the position of the photographing unit 2 relative to the subject's eye E.

[0069] In this embodiment, a graphic (hereinafter, referred to as a scan line SL) indicating a scan position (scan line) is superimposed on the anterior eye observation image in the first area 110. An operation for moving the position of the scan line SL may be input on the first area 110, and the scan position on the anterior eye may be changeable based on the operation.

[0070] After the desired scan position is set, the capture button 180 is operated to capture an OCT image of the anterior segment (S8).

[0071] <Modification> While the present disclosure has been described based on the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and various modifications are possible.

[0072] For example, in the above embodiment, as an example of a change means for changing the photographing region in the OCT optical system 10 and the first observation optical system 30 between the fundus and the anterior segment of the subject's eye E, a change means for changing the objective optical system by attaching and detaching the anterior segment attachment 65 (and the attachment lens 65a) is illustrated, but the change means for changing the photographing region is not necessarily limited to a change means for changing the objective optical system. For example, between photographing the fundus and photographing the anterior segment, the photographing region in the OCT optical system and the first observation optical system may be changed by at least changing the distance between the subject's eye and the photographing unit without changing the objective optical system. For example, when photographing the fundus, the photographing region can be changed to the anterior segment by moving the photographing unit away from the subject's eye. In this case, the change means may be, for example, a drive unit for moving the photographing unit, or a mechanism for changing the position of a face support unit (not shown) for supporting the subject's face. Since changing the distance between the test eye and the photographing unit makes it difficult to obtain an appropriate observation image through the second observation optical system, as in the above embodiment, operation input and control via the first area when photographing the anterior segment OCT is useful.

[0073] Furthermore, for example, when capturing an OCT image of the anterior segment, an operation for adjusting the position of the photographing unit 2 with respect to the subject's eye E may be accepted via the OCT image of the anterior segment displayed in the third display region 130. For example, when a position is specified on a tomographic image via a pointing device, the photographing unit 2 may move with respect to the subject's eye E so that the tissue of the anterior segment displayed at the specified position is displayed at a predetermined position within the third region 130, first region 110. In this case, the OCT image of the anterior segment may be moved in a direction along the scan line (transverse direction) or in the depth direction.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the anterior eye attachment 60 is attached to the anterior eye, and the tilt of the OCT image does not change much even if the positional relationship between the subject's eye E and the photographing unit 2 is changed in the XY direction, but if the optical system is non-telecentric on the object side when acquiring the OCT of the anterior eye, the tilt of the OCT image will change even if the positional relationship between the subject's eye E and the photographing unit 2 is changed in the XY direction. Therefore, for example, an operation input may be received to change the tilt of the OCT image of the anterior eye displayed in the third display area 130, and the position of the photographing unit 2 may be controlled in the XY direction in response to the operation input. For example, when a touch panel display is used as the operation unit 85, a target tilt may be input as a rotation amount by touching and rotating two points on the OCT image.

[0075] In the above embodiment, the control unit 70 may detect the corneal apex in the first observation image acquired in the anterior eye mode. The corneal apex may be detected, for example, based on a corneal reflection image generated in the first observation image. The corneal reflection image may be generated, for example, by the observation light being reflected by the corneal apex. The control unit 70 may execute a guidance process for guiding the detected corneal apex to a predetermined position. In the guidance process, for example, a graphic prompting an operation input for moving the corneal apex to a predetermined position may be displayed on the first observation image. The form of the graphic may be appropriately set according to the operation input and the contents of the drive control for the operation input. For example, if the photographing unit 2 is moved with respect to the subject's eye E so that the tissue of the anterior eye displayed at the specified position is displayed at a predetermined position in the first region 110 when a position is specified on the observation image of the anterior eye, for example, an electronic index may be merged with the detected corneal apex and displayed on the first observation image. This makes it easier to accurately specify the corneal apex on the observation image of the anterior eye. The shape of the electronic index can be appropriately selected.

[0076] In the above embodiment, when the working distance becomes shorter than that in the fundus mode as a result of the attachment of the anterior eye attachment 65, the movement of the photographing unit 2 in the direction approaching the subject's eye E may be restricted based on the OCT image of the anterior eye in the third region. In this case, for example, when an image of the anterior eye is generated in a region on the zero delay side of a predetermined threshold in the OCT image, the control unit 70 may control the drive unit 5 so that the photographing unit 2 does not approach the subject's eye E any more. In addition, it may detect whether or not an image of a specific tissue of the anterior eye located on the fundus side of the cornea is generated in the OCT image, and when an image of the specific tissue is generated, the drive unit 5 may be controlled so that the photographing unit 2 does not approach the subject's eye E any more. The specific tissue may be, for example, any one of the crystalline lens, the iris, the angle of the eye, etc., or may be other tissue. In addition, it is not necessarily limited to this, and if the distance between the subject's eye and the photographing unit 2 can be detected by another method, the photographing unit 2 may be restricted from approaching the subject's eye more than necessary based on the detected distance. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 1 OCT device 2. Shooting Unit 5 Drive unit 10 OCT optical system 30 Observation Optical System 70 Control section 110 1st area

Claims

1. an OCT optical system that irradiates a measurement light onto an imaging site of a subject's eye and detects a spectral interference signal between the measurement light and a reference light; an observation optical system for irradiating the imaging region with observation light and acquiring a front image of the imaging region based on the reflected light of the observation light from the imaging region; a change unit for changing the imaging region in the OCT optical system and the observation optical system between the fundus and the anterior segment of the subject's eye; a driving unit that moves an imaging unit including the OCT optical system and the observation optical system relative to the subject's eye; A control unit, An OCT device in which, when the anterior segment of the test eye is the imaging area, the control unit displays a frontal image of the anterior segment sequentially acquired via the observation optical system in a first area on a screen, and accepts operation input for controlling the drive unit via the first area.

2. An OCT device as described in claim 1, wherein when the anterior segment of the test eye is the imaging site, the control unit accepts an operation input specifying a position on a front image of the anterior segment in the first area via a pointing device, and moves the imaging unit in the XY directions relative to the test eye so that the anterior segment tissue displayed at the specified position is displayed at a predetermined position within the first area.

3. An OCT device as described in claim 1, wherein when the fundus of the test eye is the imaging site, the control unit displays a front image of the fundus sequentially acquired via the observation optical system in the first area, and accepts operational input via the first area for changing the scanning position on the fundus in the XY directions.

4. a second observation optical system different from the observation optical system, the second observation optical system being for observing an anterior segment of the subject's eye when the fundus of the subject's eye is the imaging site; The OCT device of claim 1, wherein when the fundus of the test eye is the imaging site, the control unit causes the second area to display a front image of the anterior segment sequentially acquired via the second observation optical system as the second observation image.

5. a third area is disposed on the screen together with the first area, The OCT apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit causes the third area to display live images of the subject's eye that are sequentially acquired via the OCT optical system.

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