Ophthalmic observation device

Abstract

An ophthalmological observation device (1) according to an exemplary embodiment comprises moving image generation units (30, 40), an analysis unit (211), and a display control unit (200). The moving image generation units image a subject eye having an artificial object inserted therein to generate a moving image. The analysis unit analyzes a still image included in the moving image generated by the moving image generation units, and specifies a first site image corresponding to a predetermined site of the subject eye and a second site image corresponding to a predetermined site of the artificial object. The display control unit causes a display device (3) to display the moving image generated by the moving image generation units, first position information indicating the position of the first site image specified by the analysis unit, and second position information indicating the position of the second site image specified by the analysis unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] (Cross - reference to Related Applications) This application claims priority based on U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 106,087, entitled "APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR OPHTHALMIC OBSERVATION", filed on October 27, 2020, and the entire content thereof is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This disclosure relates to an ophthalmic observation device Position .

Background Art

[0003] An ophthalmic observation device is a device for observing a patient's eye (referred to as the eye to be examined). Ophthalmic observation is performed to understand the state of the eye to be examined in various scenarios such as examinations, surgeries, and treatments.

[0004] Conventional ophthalmic observation devices provided an enlarged image obtained by an objective lens or a zoom optical system to the user via an eyepiece lens. However, in recent years, some ophthalmic observation devices are configured to capture an enlarged image obtained by an objective lens or a zoom optical system with an image sensor and display the obtained captured image (referred to as a digital ophthalmic observation device). Examples of digital ophthalmic observation devices include surgical microscopes, slit - lamp microscopes, and fundus cameras. In addition, various ophthalmic examination devices such as refractometers, keratometers, tonometers, specular microscopes, wavefront analyzers, and microperimeters are also provided with functions as digital ophthalmic observation devices.

[0005] Furthermore, in recent years, some ophthalmic observation devices utilize optical scanning (scanning - type ophthalmic observation devices). Examples of such ophthalmic devices include scanning laser ophthalmoscopes (SLO) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) devices.

[0006] Generally, an ophthalmic observation device provides a moving image of an eye to be examined to a user (e.g., a medical practitioner such as a doctor). A digital ophthalmic observation device is typically configured to perform video shooting using infrared light and / or visible light as illumination light and real-time video display of the obtained image. On the other hand, a scanning ophthalmic observation device is typically configured to perform data collection by repetitive light scanning, real-time image reconstruction based on sequentially collected data sets, and real-time video display of sequentially reconstructed images. The real-time moving image thus provided is called an observation image or a live image.

[0007] An ophthalmic observation device capable of providing a real-time moving image is also used in surgery. There are various types of ophthalmic surgeries, and a typical surgical method is to implant an artificial object into the eye. Representative examples include cataract surgery in which the natural lens is replaced with an intraocular lens (IOL), refractive correction surgery in which an intraocular contact lens (ICL; also called a phakic IOL, etc.) is implanted in the anterior chamber, and minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) in which a stent is implanted in the trabecular meshwork.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0008]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0009] In a surgery where an artificial object is implanted into the eye, it is necessary to place the artificial object in the correct position. For example, in cataract surgery or refractive correction surgery, lens centering (the operation of aligning the center of the lens with the eye axis) is performed so that problems such as defocus do not occur after the surgery. In MIGS, an operation is performed to align the stent with the trabecular meshwork in order to ensure the aqueous humor drainage effect. Currently, there is no means or method to easily confirm whether the artificial object is placed in the appropriate position, so the operation has been time-consuming and laborious. For example, since there is no position indicator that can be referred to for lens centering, a rough alignment is performed while referring to the state of the light reflection shown in the image of the eye provided through an eyepiece lens or a display device.

[0010] One object of the present disclosure is to provide a new technology for facilitating ophthalmic surgery.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] Some exemplary embodiments may include an ophthalmic observation device for observing an eye to be examined, a moving image generation unit that captures the eye to be examined with an artificial object inserted therein to generate a moving image, an analysis unit that analyzes a still image included in the moving image to identify a first part image corresponding to a predetermined part of the eye to be examined and a second part image corresponding to a predetermined part of the artificial object, and a display control unit that causes a display device to display the moving image, first position information indicating the position of the first part image, and second position information indicating the position of the second part image.

[0012] In the ophthalmic observation device according to some exemplary embodiments, the display control unit may display information based on the deviation between the first part image and the second part image based on the positions of the first part image and the second part image.

[0013] In the ophthalmic observation device according to some exemplary embodiments, the display control unit may include first guide information indicating the moving direction of the artificial object.

[0014] In an ophthalmic observation apparatus according to some exemplary embodiments, the display control unit may include second guide information indicating the moving distance of the artifact.

[0015] In an ophthalmic observation apparatus according to some exemplary embodiments, the display control unit may display the first position information and the second position information in different manners from each other.

[0016] In an ophthalmic observation apparatus according to some exemplary embodiments, the analysis unit may sequentially identify the first part image and the second part image from the still images sequentially generated by the moving image generation unit in parallel with the generation of the moving image by the moving image generation unit, and the display control unit may sequentially update the first position information and the second position information displayed together with the moving image in parallel with the sequential generation of the still images by the moving image generation unit and the sequential analysis of the still images by the analysis unit.

[0017] In an ophthalmic observation apparatus according to some exemplary embodiments, the predetermined part of the artifact may be at least one of an edge of an intraocular lens, an approximate figure of the edge, a center of the intraocular lens, and a hole part of the intraocular lens.

[0018] In an ophthalmic observation apparatus according to some exemplary embodiments, the predetermined part of the eye to be examined may be at least one of a corneal limbus part, an approximate figure of the corneal limbus part, a corneal center, a pupil edge, an approximate figure of the pupil edge, and a pupil center.

[0019] Some exemplary embodiments are a method of controlling an ophthalmic observation apparatus including an optical system and a processor for generating a moving image of an eye to be examined, the method including causing the optical system to generate a moving image of the eye to be examined with an artifact inserted therein, causing the processor to analyze a still image included in the moving image to identify a first part image corresponding to a predetermined part of the eye to be examined and a second part image corresponding to a predetermined part of the artifact, and causing the processor to display on a display device the moving image, first position information indicating the position of the first part image, and second position information indicating the position of the second part image.

[0020] Some exemplary embodiments are programs that cause a computer to execute a method according to the exemplary embodiments.

[0021] Some exemplary embodiments are computer-readable non-transitory recording media on which a program according to the exemplary embodiments is recorded.

Advantages of the Invention

[0022] According to the exemplary embodiments, it becomes possible to facilitate ophthalmic surgery.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023]

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MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0024] Some exemplary aspects of an ophthalmic observation device according to an embodiment, a method for controlling the same, a program, and a recording medium will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that matters described in the documents cited in this specification and any known techniques can be combined in exemplary aspects.

[0025] The ophthalmic observation device according to an exemplary aspect is used to grasp the state of an eye to be examined in medical procedures such as surgery, examination, and treatment. The ophthalmic observation device in the exemplary aspect described below is a surgical microscope system, but the ophthalmic observation device is not limited to a surgical microscope system. For example, the ophthalmic observation device may be any one of a slit lamp microscope, a fundus camera, a refractometer, a keratometer, a tonometer, a specular microscope, a wavefront analyzer, a microperimeter, an SLO, and an OCT device, or may be a system including any one or more of these. More generally, the ophthalmic observation device may be any ophthalmic device having an observation function.

[0026] The observation target site using the ophthalmic observation device may be any site of the eye to be examined, and may be any site of the anterior segment of the eye and / or any site of the posterior segment of the eye. Examples of the observation target site of the anterior segment of the eye include the cornea, iris, anterior chamber, angle, lens, ciliary body, zonular fibers, etc. Examples of the observation target site of the posterior segment of the eye include the retina, choroid, sclera, vitreous body, etc. The observation target site is not limited to eye tissues, and may be any site that is an observation target in ophthalmology (and / or other departments), such as the eyelid, Meibomian gland, eye socket, etc.

[0027] The ophthalmic observation device is used for observing an artifact inserted into the eye. For example, the artifact may be any instrument implanted in the eye, such as an intraocular lens, intraocular contact lens, MIGS device (stent). Also, the artifact may be any medical instrument, such as a surgical instrument, examination instrument, treatment instrument, etc.

[0028] At least a part of the functions of the elements disclosed in this specification is implemented using circuitry or processing circuitry. The circuitry or processing circuitry includes a general-purpose processor, a dedicated processor, an integrated circuit, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a programmable logic device (e.g., SPLD (Simple Programmable Logic Device), CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array)), a conventional circuitry, and any combination thereof, which is configured and / or programmed to execute at least a part of the disclosed functions. A processor is regarded as a processing circuitry or circuitry including transistors and / or other circuitry. In the present disclosure, terms such as circuitry, unit, means, or the like similar thereto refer to hardware that executes at least a part of the disclosed functions, or hardware programmed to execute at least a part of the disclosed functions. The hardware may be the hardware disclosed in this specification, or may be known hardware programmed and / or configured to execute at least a part of the described functions. When the hardware is a processor that can be regarded as a certain type of circuitry, the terms circuitry, unit, means, or the like similar thereto refer to a combination of hardware and software, and this software is used to configure the hardware and / or the processor.

[0029] <Ophthalmic observation device> The configuration of an ophthalmic observation device according to an exemplary embodiment is shown in FIG. 1.

[0030] The ophthalmic observation device 1 (surgical microscope system) according to the embodiment includes an operation device 2, a display device 3, and a surgical microscope 10. In some aspects, the surgical microscope 10 may include at least one of the operation device 2 and the display device 3. Also, in some aspects, the display device 3 may not be included in the ophthalmic observation device 1. That is, the display device 3 may be a peripheral device of the ophthalmic observation device 1.

[0031] <Operation device 2> The operation device 2 includes an operation device and / or an input device. For example, the operation device 2 may include buttons, switches, a mouse, a keyboard, a trackball, an operation panel, a dial, etc. Typically, the operation device 2 includes a foot switch, similar to a general ophthalmic surgical microscope. Also, it may be configured to perform operations using voice recognition, eye gaze input, etc.

[0032] <Display device 3> The display device 3 displays an image of the eye to be examined acquired by the surgical microscope 10. The display device 3 includes a display device such as a flat panel display. Also, the display device 3 may include various display devices such as a touch panel. A typical display device 3 includes a large-screen display device. The display device 3 includes one or more display devices. When the display device 3 includes two or more display devices, for example, one may be a relatively large-screen display device and the other may be a relatively small-screen display device. Also, a configuration may be adopted in which a single display device is provided with a plurality of display areas to display a plurality of information.

[0033] The operation device 2 and the display device 3 do not necessarily have to be separate devices. For example, a device in which the operation function and the display function are integrated, such as a touch panel, may be used as the display device 3. In that case, the operation device 2 includes this touch panel and a computer program. The operation content for the operation device 2 is input as an electrical signal to a processor (not shown). Also, operations and information input may be performed using the graphical user interface (GUI) displayed on the display device 3 and the operation device 2. In some aspects, the functions of the operation device 2 and the display device 3 may be realized by a touch screen.

[0034] <Surgical microscope 10> The surgical microscope 10 is used to observe the eye (the eye to be examined) of a supine patient. The surgical microscope 10 photographs the eye to be examined and generates digital image data. In particular, the surgical microscope 10 generates a moving image of the eye to be examined. The moving image (video) generated by the surgical microscope 10 is transmitted to and displayed on the display device 3 through a wired and / or wireless signal path. The user (surgeon) can perform the surgery while observing the eye to be examined based on the displayed video. In some aspects of the surgical microscope 10, in addition to observing such a displayed video, observation through an eyepiece lens as in the past may also be possible.

[0035] In some aspects, the surgical microscope 10 includes a communication device for transmitting and receiving electrical signals to and from the operation device 2. The operation device 2 receives an operation by the user and generates an electrical signal (operation signal) corresponding thereto. The operation signal is transmitted to the surgical microscope 10 through a wired and / or wireless signal path. The surgical microscope 10 executes processing corresponding to the received operation signal.

[0036] <Optical system of the surgical microscope 10> An example of the configuration of the optical system of the surgical microscope 10 will be described. Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the optical axis direction of the objective lens is defined as the z direction (for example, the vertical direction, the up-down direction during surgery), a predetermined direction orthogonal to the z direction is defined as the x direction (for example, the horizontal direction during surgery, the left-right direction for the surgeon and the patient), and a direction orthogonal to both the z direction and the x direction is defined as the y direction (for example, the horizontal direction during surgery, the front-back direction for the surgeon, the body axis direction for the patient).

[0037] Also, hereinafter, the case where the observation optical system mainly has a pair of left and right optical systems (an optical system capable of binocular observation) will be mainly described. However, the observation optical system of other aspects may have an optical system for monocular observation, and those skilled in the art will understand that the configurations described below can be applied to such aspects.

[0038] An example of the configuration of the optical system of the surgical microscope 10 is shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows a schematic top view of the optical system as viewed from above and a schematic side view of the optical system as viewed from the side in association with each other. For simplicity of illustration, in the top view, the illustration of the illumination optical system 30 disposed above the objective lens 20 is omitted.

[0039] The surgical microscope 10 includes an objective lens 20, a dichroic mirror DM1, an illumination optical system 30, and an observation optical system 40. The observation optical system 40 includes a zoom expander 50 and an imaging camera 60. In some aspects, the illumination optical system 30 or the observation optical system 40 includes the dichroic mirror DM1.

[0040] The objective lens 20 is disposed to face the eye to be examined. The objective lens 20 is disposed such that its optical axis is along the z direction. The objective lens 20 may include two or more lenses.

[0041] The dichroic mirror DM1 couples the optical path of the illumination optical system 30 and the optical path of the observation optical system 40. The dichroic mirror DM1 is disposed between the illumination optical system 30 and the objective lens 20. The dichroic mirror DM1 transmits the illumination light from the illumination optical system 30 and guides it to the eye to be examined through the objective lens 20, and reflects the return light from the eye to be examined incident through the objective lens 20 and guides it to the imaging camera 60 of the observation optical system 40.

[0042] The dichroic mirror DM1 coaxially couples the optical path of the illumination optical system 30 and the optical path of the observation optical system 40. That is, the optical axis of the illumination optical system 30 and the optical axis of the observation optical system 40 intersect at the dichroic mirror DM1. When the illumination optical system 30 includes a left-eye illumination optical system (31L) and a right-eye illumination optical system (31R), and the observation optical system 40 includes a left-eye observation optical system 40L and a right-eye observation optical system 40R, the dichroic mirror DM1 coaxially couples the optical path of the left-eye illumination optical system (the first illumination optical system 31L) and the optical path of the left-eye observation optical system 40L, and coaxially couples the optical path of the right-eye illumination optical system (the first illumination optical system 31R) and the optical path of the right-eye observation optical system 40R.

[0043] The illumination optical system 30 is an optical system for illuminating the eye to be examined through the objective lens 20. The illumination optical system 30 may be configured to illuminate the eye to be examined with any one of two or more illumination lights having different color temperatures. The illumination optical system 30 projects illumination light of a specified color temperature onto the eye to be examined under the control of a control unit (200) described later.

[0044] The illumination optical system 30 includes a first illumination optical system 31L and 31R and a second illumination optical system 32.

[0045] Each of the optical axis OL of the first illumination optical system 31L and the optical axis OR of the first illumination optical system 31R is arranged substantially coaxially with the optical axis of the objective lens 20. Thereby, coaxial illumination can be realized, and it becomes possible to obtain a transillumination image using diffuse reflection at the fundus. In this aspect, it is possible to observe the transillumination image of the eye to be examined binocularly.

[0046] The second illumination optical system 32 is arranged such that its optical axis OS is eccentric from the optical axis of the objective lens 20. The first illumination optical systems 31L and 31R and the second illumination optical system 32 are arranged such that the deviation of the optical axis OS with respect to the optical axis of the objective lens 20 is larger than the deviation of the optical axes OL and OR with respect to the optical axis of the objective lens 20. Thereby, so-called "angled illumination (oblique illumination)" can be realized, and it becomes possible to observe the eye to be examined binocularly while preventing the inclusion of ghosts caused by corneal reflection or the like. Furthermore, it also becomes possible to observe in detail the unevenness of the parts and tissues of the eye to be examined.

[0047] The first illumination optical system 31L includes a light source 31LA and a condenser lens 31LB. The light source 31LA outputs illumination light having a wavelength in the visible region corresponding to a color temperature of, for example, 3000 K (Kelvin). The illumination light output from the light source 31LA passes through the condenser lens 31LB, passes through the dichroic mirror DM1, passes through the objective lens 20, and is incident on the eye to be examined.

[0048] The first illumination optical system 31R includes a light source 31RA and a condenser lens 31RB. The light source 31RA also outputs illumination light having a wavelength in the visible region corresponding to a color temperature of, for example, 3000 K. The illumination light output from the light source 31RA passes through the condenser lens 31RB, passes through the dichroic mirror DM1, passes through the objective lens 20, and is incident on the eye to be examined.

[0049] The second illumination optical system 32 includes a light source 32A and a condenser lens 32B. The light source 32A outputs illumination light having a wavelength in the visible region corresponding to a color temperature of, for example, 4000 K to 6000 K. The illumination light output from the light source 32A passes through the condenser lens 32B, passes through the objective lens 20 without passing through the dichroic mirror DM1, and is incident on the eye to be examined.

[0050] That is, the color temperature of the illumination light from the first illumination optical systems 31L and 31R is lower than the color temperature of the illumination light from the second illumination optical system 32. With such a configuration, it becomes possible to observe the eye to be examined in warm colors using the first illumination optical systems 31L and 31R, and it becomes possible to observe the structure and form of the eye to be examined in detail.

[0051] In some aspects, each of the optical axes OL and OR is relatively movable with respect to the optical axis of the objective lens 20. The direction of this relative movement is a direction intersecting the optical axis of the objective lens 20, and this relative movement is represented by a displacement vector in which at least one of the x - component and the y - component is non - zero. In some aspects, each of the optical axes OL and OR may be independently movable. On the other hand, in some aspects, the optical axes OL and OR may be integrally movable. For example, the surgical microscope 10 includes a moving mechanism (31d) that moves the first illumination optical systems 31L and 31R independently or integrally, and by this moving mechanism, the first illumination optical systems 31L and 31R are moved independently or integrally in a direction intersecting the optical axis of the objective lens 20. Thereby, it becomes possible to adjust the visibility of the eye to be examined. In some aspects, the moving mechanism operates under the control of a control unit (200) described later.

[0052] In some aspects, the optical axis OS is relatively movable with respect to the optical axis of the objective lens 20. The direction of this relative movement is a direction intersecting the optical axis of the objective lens 20, and this relative movement is represented by a displacement vector in which at least one of the x - component and the y - component is non - zero. For example, the surgical microscope 10 includes a moving mechanism (32d) that moves the second illumination optical system 32, and by this moving mechanism, the second illumination optical system 32 is moved in a direction intersecting the optical axis of the objective lens 20. Thereby, it becomes possible to adjust the visibility of the unevenness in the part and tissue of the eye to be examined. In some aspects, the moving mechanism operates under the control of a control unit (200) described later.

[0053] As described above, in this embodiment, the illumination optical system 30 is disposed at a position directly above the objective lens 20 (the position in the transmission direction of the dichroic mirror DM1), and the observation optical system 40 is disposed at a position in the reflection direction of the dichroic mirror DM1. For example, the observation optical system 40 may be disposed such that the angle formed by the optical axis of the observation optical system 40 and the plane (xy plane) orthogonal to the optical axis of the objective lens 20 is 20 degrees or less in either the positive or negative direction.

[0054] According to the configuration of this embodiment, since the observation optical system 40, which generally has a longer optical path length than the illumination optical system 30, is disposed substantially parallel to the xy plane, it does not obstruct the surgeon's field of view as in the case of a conventional surgical microscope in which the observation optical system is disposed vertically in front of the surgeon's eyes. Therefore, the surgeon can easily view the screen of the display device 3 installed in the front. That is, the visibility of the display information (images and videos of the eye to be examined, and other various reference information) during surgery and the like is improved. Further, since no housing is disposed in front of the surgeon's eyes, there is no sense of pressure on the surgeon, and the burden on the surgeon is reduced.

[0055] The observation optical system 40 is an optical system for observing an image formed based on the return light of the illumination light incident from the eye to be examined through the objective lens 20. In this embodiment, the observation optical system 40 provides an image to the imaging element of the imaging camera 60.

[0056] As described above, the observation optical system 40 includes a left-eye observation optical system 40L and a right-eye observation optical system 40R. The configuration of the left-eye observation optical system 40L is the same as that of the right-eye observation optical system 40R. In some embodiments, the left-eye observation optical system 40L and the right-eye observation optical system 40R may be capable of independently changing the optical arrangement.

[0057] The zoom expander 50 is also called a beam expander, a variable beam expander, etc. The zoom expander 50 includes a left-eye zoom expander 50L and a right-eye zoom expander 50R. The configuration of the left-eye zoom expander 50L is the same as that of the right-eye zoom expander 50R. In some aspects, the left-eye zoom expander 50L and the right-eye zoom expander 50R may be able to change their optical arrangements independently of each other.

[0058] The left-eye zoom expander 50L includes a plurality of zoom lenses 51L, 52L, and 53L. At least one of the plurality of zoom lenses 51L, 52L, and 53L is movable in the optical axis direction by a zoom mechanism (not shown).

[0059] Similarly, the right-eye zoom expander 50R includes a plurality of zoom lenses 51R, 52R, and 53R, and at least one of the plurality of zoom lenses 51R, 52R, and 53R is movable in the optical axis direction by a zoom mechanism (not shown).

[0060] The zoom mechanism may be configured to move each zoom lens of the left-eye zoom expander 50L and each zoom lens of the right-eye zoom expander 50R independently or integrally in the optical axis direction. Thereby, the magnification when photographing the eye to be examined is changed. In some aspects, the zoom mechanism operates under the control of a control unit (200) described later.

[0061] The imaging camera 60 is a device that captures an image formed by the observation optical system 40 to generate digital image data, and is typically a digital camera (digital video camera). The imaging camera 60 includes a left-eye imaging camera 60L and a right-eye imaging camera 60R. The configuration of the left-eye imaging camera 60L is the same as that of the right-eye imaging camera 60R. In some aspects, the left-eye imaging camera 60L and the right-eye imaging camera 60R may be able to change their optical arrangements independently of each other.

[0062] The left-eye imaging camera 60L includes an imaging lens 61L and an imaging element 62L. The imaging lens 61L forms an image based on the return light that has passed through the left-eye zoom expander 50L on the imaging surface of the imaging element 62L. The imaging element 62L is an area sensor and may typically be a charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensor or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor. The imaging element 62L operates under the control of a control unit (200) described later.

[0063] The right-eye imaging camera 60R includes an imaging lens 61R and an imaging element 62R. The imaging lens 61R forms an image based on the return light that has passed through the right-eye zoom expander 50R on the imaging surface of the imaging element 62L. The imaging element 62R is an area sensor and may typically be a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor. The imaging element 62R operates under the control of a control unit (200) described later.

[0064] <Processing system> The processing system of the ophthalmic observation device 1 will be described. Configuration examples of the processing system are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Any two or more of the various configuration examples described below can be at least partially combined. Note that the configuration of the processing system is not limited to these examples.

[0065] The control unit 200 controls each part of the ophthalmic observation device 1. The control unit 200 includes a main control unit 201 and a storage unit 202. The main control unit 201 includes a processor and controls each part of the ophthalmic observation device 1. For example, the processor can read and execute a program stored in the storage unit 202 or another storage device in order to realize the functions according to this aspect, and can also use (refer to, process, calculate, etc.) the data and information stored in the storage unit 202 or another storage device.

[0066] The main control unit 201 can control the light sources 31LA, 31RA, and 32A of the illumination optical system 30, the imaging elements 62L and 62R of the observation optical system 40, the moving mechanisms 31d and 32d, the zoom mechanisms 50Ld and 50Rd, the operation device 2, the display device 3, and the like.

[0067] The control of the light source 31LA includes turning on and off the light source, adjusting the light amount, adjusting the aperture, etc. The control of the light source 31RA includes turning on and off the light source, adjusting the light amount, adjusting the aperture, etc. The main control unit 201 can perform exclusive control on the light sources 31LA and 31RA with respect to each other. The control of the light source 32A includes turning on and off the light source, adjusting the light amount, adjusting the aperture, etc.

[0068] When the illumination optical system 30 includes a light source whose color temperature can be changed, the main control unit 201 can change the color temperature of the output illumination light by controlling this light source.

[0069] The control of the imaging device 62L includes exposure adjustment, gain adjustment, shooting rate adjustment, etc. The control of the imaging device 62R includes exposure adjustment, gain adjustment, shooting rate adjustment, etc. Also, the main control unit 201 can control the imaging devices 62L and 62R so that the shooting timings of the imaging devices 62L and 62R coincide, or the difference between the shooting timings of both is within a predetermined time. Further, the main control unit 201 can perform readout control of the digital data obtained by the imaging devices 62L and 62R.

[0070] The moving mechanism 31d moves the light sources 31LA and 31RA independently or integrally in a direction intersecting the optical axis of the objective lens 20. The main control unit 201 can move the optical axes OL and OR independently or integrally with respect to the optical axis of the objective lens 20 by controlling the moving mechanism 31d.

[0071] The moving mechanism 32d moves the light source 32A in a direction intersecting the optical axis of the objective lens 20. The main control unit 201 can move the optical axis OS with respect to the optical axis of the objective lens 20 by controlling the moving mechanism 32d.

[0072] The moving mechanism 70 moves the surgical microscope 10. For example, the moving mechanism 70 is configured to integrate at least a part of the illumination optical system 30 and the observation optical system 40. Thereby, while maintaining the relative positional relationship between at least a part of the illumination optical system 30 and the observation optical system 40, the relative positions of at least a part of the illumination optical system 30 and the observation optical system 40 with respect to the eye to be examined can be changed. In some embodiments, the moving mechanism 70 is configured to integrally move the first illumination optical systems 31L and 31R and the observation optical system 40. Thereby, while maintaining the coaxial illumination state, the relative positions of the first illumination optical systems 31L and 31R and the observation optical system 40 with respect to the eye to be examined can be changed. In some embodiments, the moving mechanism 70 is configured to integrally move the second illumination optical system 32 and the observation optical system 40. Thereby, while maintaining the illumination angle of the oblique illumination, the relative positions of the second illumination optical system 32 and the observation optical system 40 with respect to the eye to be examined can be changed. In some embodiments, the moving mechanism 70 is configured to integrally move the first illumination optical systems 31L and 31R, the second illumination optical system 32, and the observation optical system 40. Thereby, while maintaining both the coaxial illumination state and the illumination angle of the oblique illumination, the relative positions of the illumination optical system 30 and the observation optical system 40 with respect to the eye to be examined can be changed. The moving mechanism 70 operates under the control of the control unit 200.

[0073] In some embodiments, the main control unit 201 can control at least two of the moving mechanisms 31d, 32d, and 70 in an associated manner.

[0074] The zoom mechanism 50Ld moves at least one of the plurality of zoom lenses 51L to 53L of the left-eye zoom expander 50L in the optical axis direction. The main control unit 201 can change the magnification of the left-eye observation optical system 40L by controlling the zoom mechanism 50Ld.

[0075] Similarly, the zoom mechanism 50Rd moves at least one of the plurality of zoom lenses 51R to 53R of the right-eye zoom expander 50R in the optical axis direction. The main control unit 201 can change the magnification of the right-eye observation optical system 40R by controlling the zoom mechanism 50Rd.

[0076] The control of the operating device 2 includes operation permission control, operation prohibition control, transmission control and / or reception control of operation signals from the operating device 2, and the like. The main control unit 201 receives the operation signal generated by the operating device 2 and executes the control corresponding to this received signal.

[0077] The control of the display device 3 includes information display control and the like. The main control unit 201, as a display control unit, can cause the display device 3 to display an image based on the digital image data generated by the imaging elements 62L and 62R. Typically, a moving image (video) based on the digital image data (video signal) generated by the imaging elements 62L and 62R can be displayed on the display device 3, and a still image (frame) included in this moving image can also be displayed on the display device 3. Further, the main control unit 201 can cause the display device 3 to display an image (moving image, still image, etc.) obtained by processing the digital image data generated by the imaging elements 62L and 62R. Also, the main control unit 201 can cause the display device 3 to display any information generated by the ophthalmic observation device 1 or any information acquired by the ophthalmic observation device 1 from the outside.

[0078] In addition, as a display control unit, the main control unit 201 creates a left-eye image from the digital image data generated by the imaging device 62L and creates a right-eye image from the digital image data generated by the imaging device 62R, and can display the created left-eye image and right-eye image on the display device 3 in a stereoscopic viewable manner. For example, the main control unit 201 can create a pair of left and right parallax images from the left-eye image and the right-eye image, and display this pair of parallax images on the display device 3. A user (such as a surgeon) can recognize a pair of parallax images as a stereoscopic image using a known stereoscopic method. The stereoscopic method applicable to this embodiment may be arbitrary. For example, a stereoscopic method with naked eyes, a stereoscopic method using an auxiliary device (such as polarized glasses), a stereoscopic method using image processing (such as image synthesis and rendering) for the left-eye image and the right-eye image, a stereoscopic method for simultaneously displaying a pair of parallax images, a stereoscopic method for switching and displaying a pair of parallax images, and any of stereoscopic methods combining two or more of these may be used.

[0079] The data processing unit 210 executes various data processes. Some examples of processes that the data processing unit 210 can execute will be described below. The data processing unit 210 (each of its elements) includes a processor that operates according to a predetermined software (program), and is realized by the cooperation of hardware and software.

[0080] Some examples of processes that the data processing unit 210 can execute will be described together with related elements. FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of the data processing unit 210 (and related elements). The data processing unit 210A shown in FIG. 4 is an example of the data processing unit 210 in FIG. 3 and includes an analysis unit 211.

[0081] The surgical microscope 10 captures a live image of an eye under examination in a state where an artificial object (for example, an intraocular lens, an intraocular contact lens, a MIGS device, etc.) is inserted to generate a moving image (live image). The control unit 200 captures a frame (still image) of the moving image and inputs it to the analysis unit 211. For example, the control unit 200 captures a frame from the moving image in response to a manual or automatic trigger.

[0082] The analysis unit 211 analyzes the frame captured from the moving image to identify an image region corresponding to a predetermined site of the eye under examination and an image region corresponding to a predetermined site of the artificial object inserted into the eye under examination. In the present disclosure, the image region corresponding to the predetermined site of the eye under examination may be referred to as a first site image, and the image region corresponding to the predetermined site of the artificial object may be referred to as a second site image.

[0083] The image region corresponding to the predetermined site of the eye under examination may be, for example, an image region identified as an image of the site, or an image region obtained by processing an image of the site (and its vicinity) (for example, an approximate figure such as an approximate ellipse or an approximate circle). The same applies to the image region corresponding to the predetermined site of the artificial object.

[0084] The predetermined site of the eye to be examined detected by the analysis unit 211 may be any site. When the observation target by the ophthalmic observation device 1 is the anterior eye segment, the analysis unit 211 may be configured to detect, for example, the pupil (entirely, or characteristic sites such as the pupil margin, pupil center, pupil centroid, etc.), the cornea (entirely, or characteristic sites such as the corneal limbus, corneal margin, corneal center, corneal apex, etc.), the iris (entirely, or characteristic sites such as the inner iris margin, outer iris margin, iris pattern, etc.), the anterior chamber (entirely, or characteristic sites such as the anterior boundary, posterior boundary, etc.), the angle (entirely, peripheral sites, etc.), the lens (entirely, or characteristic sites such as the lens capsule, anterior capsule, posterior capsule, lens nucleus, etc.), the ciliary body, zonular fibers, blood vessels, and any one of the lesion sites. When the observation target by the ophthalmic observation device 1 is the posterior eye segment, the analysis unit 211 may be configured to detect, for example, the optic disc, macula, blood vessels, the retina (entirely, surface, or one or more sub-tissues), the choroid (entirely, front surface, rear surface, or one or more sub-tissues), the sclera (entirely, front surface, rear surface, or one or more sub-tissues), the vitreous (entirely, turbidity, floating substances, detached tissues, etc.), and any one of the lesion sites. When the observation target by the ophthalmic observation device 1 is not an eye tissue, the analysis unit 211 may be configured to detect, for example, any site (tissue) such as the eyelid, Meibomian gland, eye socket, etc. The site detected by the analysis unit 211 may be determined according to the illumination method, surgical site, surgical method, etc.

[0085] The analysis unit 211 can detect an image of a predetermined part of the eye to be examined from a still image using an arbitrary region extraction method. For example, when detecting an image of a part with luminance characteristics, the analysis unit 211 may be configured to detect an image of a predetermined part of the eye to be examined from the still image using luminance threshold processing such as binarization. When detecting an image of a part with shape characteristics, the analysis unit 211 may be configured to detect an image of a predetermined part of the eye to be examined from the still image using shape analysis processing such as pattern matching. When detecting an image of a part with color tone characteristics, the analysis unit 211 may be configured to detect an image of a predetermined part of the eye to be examined from the still image using color analysis processing such as characteristic color extraction. Further, the analysis unit 211 may be configured to detect an image of a predetermined part of the eye to be examined by applying segmentation for specifying an image of a predetermined part of the eye to be examined to the still image. Generally, segmentation is a process of specifying partial regions in an image. The segmentation may include any known image processing technique, for example, segmentation using image processing such as edge detection, and / or segmentation using machine learning (for example, deep learning).

[0086] The predetermined part of the artifact detected by the analysis unit 211 may be any part of any artifact. For example, it may be an intraocular lens (whole, optical part, support part, or outer edge, center, or hole of the optical part), an intraocular contact lens (whole, optical part (lens), support part, outer edge, center, or hole of the optical part, or outer edge or hole of the support part), a MIGS device (whole or part), etc. Similar to the detection of an image of a predetermined part of the eye to be examined, the analysis unit 211 can detect an image of a predetermined part of the artifact from the still image using an arbitrary region extraction method.

[0087] While receiving a live image of the eye to be examined in a state where the artifact is inserted from the surgical microscope 10 and causing it to be displayed on the display device 3, the control unit 200 causes the display device 3 to display first position information indicating the position of the first part image detected by the analysis unit 211 (that is, the position of a predetermined part of the eye to be examined) and second position information indicating the position of the second part image detected by the analysis unit 211 (that is, the position of a predetermined part of the artifact).

[0088] According to the ophthalmic observation device 1 configured as described above, since the position of a predetermined part of the eye to be examined and the position of a predetermined part of the artifact can be provided together with a live image, the user can grasp the positional relationship between the predetermined part of the eye to be examined and the predetermined part of the artifact in real time. Thereby, for example, in a surgery for implanting an artifact into the eye, the work of arranging the artifact at the correct position can be easily performed, and it can be easily confirmed whether the artifact is arranged at an appropriate position. Therefore, according to the ophthalmic observation device 1, it is possible to facilitate ophthalmic surgery.

[0089] The control unit 200 may be configured to display the first position information indicating the position of a predetermined part of the eye to be examined and the second position information indicating the position of a predetermined part of the artifact in different manners. The display manners of the first position information and the second position information are different, for example, in at least one of color, pattern, shape, and dimension. Thereby, the user can easily grasp the position of the predetermined part of the eye to be examined and the position of the predetermined part of the artifact, and can also easily grasp the positional relationship between the predetermined part of the eye to be examined and the predetermined part of the artifact.

[0090] One or both of the display manners of the first position information and the second position information may be changeable automatically or manually. For example, the data processing unit 210A is configured to obtain the positional relationship (such as distance and orientation) between the predetermined part of the eye to be examined and the predetermined part of the artifact based on the first part image and the second part image detected by the analysis unit 211, and the control unit 200 is configured to change the display manner of the first position information and / or the display manner of the second position information based on the positional relationship between the predetermined part of the eye to be examined and the predetermined part of the artifact obtained by the data processing unit 210A. Thereby, the user can easily (intuitively) grasp the positional relationship between the predetermined part of the eye to be examined and the predetermined part of the artifact.

[0091] Based on the positions of each of the first partial image and the second partial image detected by the analysis unit 211, the control unit 200 can display information based on the displacement between the first partial image and the second partial image together with the live image generated by the surgical microscope 10. Note that the control unit 200 can display information based on the displacement between the first partial image and the second partial image together with at least one of the live image, the first position information indicating the position of a predetermined part of the eye to be examined, and the second position information indicating the position of a predetermined part of the artifact.

[0092] The information based on the displacement between the first partial image and the second partial image may be, for example, information indicating the displacement of the artifact with respect to the eye to be examined, information indicating the displacement of the actual position of the artifact with respect to the position where the artifact should be placed, information indicating the moving direction of the artifact (the direction in which the artifact should be moved), information indicating the moving distance of the artifact (the distance (amount) by which the artifact should be moved), information indicating the rotational direction of the artifact (the direction in which the artifact should be rotated), or information indicating the rotational angle of the artifact (the angle (amount) by which the artifact should be rotated). Thus, the information based on the displacement between the first partial image and the second partial image may be information indicating the displacement, information for eliminating the displacement (guidance for the user, guide information), or other information. The form of the information based on the displacement between the first partial image and the second partial image is arbitrary and may be, for example, an image, a figure, a character string, or the like.

[0093] The ophthalmic observation device 1 can update in real time the first position information (information indicating the position of a predetermined part of the eye to be examined) and the second position information (information indicating the position of a predetermined part of the artifact) that are displayed together with the live image generated by the surgical microscope 10. For this purpose, the analysis unit 211 sequentially identifies, from the frames (still images) sequentially generated by the surgical microscope 10 in parallel with the generation of the moving image by the surgical microscope 10, an image (first part image) of a predetermined part of the eye to be examined and an image (second part image) of a predetermined part of the artifact. Further, the control unit 200 sequentially updates the first position information and the second position information that are displayed together with the live image in parallel with the sequential generation of the still images by the surgical microscope 10 and the sequential analysis of the still images by the analysis unit 211. The update of the first position information is executed based on the first part image (time-series image) sequentially obtained from the live image. Similarly, the update of the second position information is executed based on the second part image (time-series image) sequentially obtained from the live image. According to this configuration, the user can grasp in real time changes in the position of a predetermined part of the eye to be examined, changes in the position of a predetermined part of the artifact, changes in the relative position between a predetermined part of the eye to be examined and a predetermined part of the artifact, and the like.

[0094] <Operation and Usage Mode> The operation and usage mode of the ophthalmic observation device 1 will be described. An example of the operation and usage mode of the ophthalmic observation device 1 is shown in FIG. 5. In this example, the application to the centering operation (operation for aligning the center of the intraocular lens with the center of the eye) in the intraocular lens transplantation surgery will be described. However, even when applied to other surgeries or other artifacts, it is possible to implement substantially the same operation and usage mode as this example, except for the differences in the applied surgery and artifact.

[0095] (S1: Start generating and displaying the live image) First, the user performs a predetermined operation using the operating device 2 to start the generation and display of a live image of the eye to be examined (anterior eye segment) by the ophthalmic observation device 1. Specifically, the surgical microscope 10 illuminates the eye to be examined by the illumination optical system 30 and generates digital image data (video) of the eye to be examined by the imaging elements 62L and 62R. The generated video (live image 301) is displayed on the display device 3 in real time (see FIG. 6A). That is, the moving image acquired by the surgical microscope 10 is displayed on the display device 3 as a live image (observation image). The user can perform the surgery while observing this live image.

[0096] (S2: Detect the eye center position from the live image) Next, the analysis unit 211 detects the eye center position from the live image (its frame) whose generation was started in step S1. The eye center position is a position defined in advance as the center position of the eye to be examined, and may typically be the corneal center or the pupil center.

[0097] In some embodiments, to detect the corneal center, the analysis unit 211 first applies binarization, edge detection, or segmentation to the frame of the live image 301 to detect the corneal limbus 302 (see FIG. 6B). Next, the analysis unit 211 identifies the position (pixel) 303 corresponding to the corneal center based on the detected corneal limbus 302 (see FIG. 6C). For example, the analysis unit 211 obtains an approximate ellipse (approximate circle) of the detected corneal limbus 302 and identifies the center of this approximate ellipse as the corneal center 303. The identification of the center of the approximate ellipse is performed, for example, by a known geometric method.

[0098] In some embodiments, to detect the pupil center, the analysis unit 211 first applies binarization, edge detection, or segmentation to a frame of the live image 301 to detect the pupil edge 304 (see FIG. 6D). Next, the analysis unit 211 identifies the position (pixel) 305 corresponding to the pupil center based on the detected pupil edge 304 (see FIG. 6E). For example, the analysis unit 211 obtains an approximate ellipse (approximate circle) of the detected pupil edge 304 and identifies the center of this approximate ellipse as the pupil center 305. The identification of the center of the approximate ellipse is performed, for example, by a known geometric method.

[0099] The process of step S2 can be applied to the frames sequentially acquired as the live image 301. For example, the process of step S2 can be applied to all the frames acquired as the live image 301 (time-series image), or the process of step S2 can be applied to the frames selected from all the frames acquired as the live image 301. The selection of the frames can be, for example, a decimation process that selects at a predetermined number interval.

[0100] The control unit 200 can superimpose and display information indicating the eye center position (eye center position information) detected in step S2 on the live image 301. When the process of step S2 is applied to the frames sequentially acquired as the live image 301, the control unit 200 can update the display of the eye center position information each time a new eye center position is detected. Thereby, the surgeon can grasp the eye center position of the eye to be examined in real time.

[0101] (S3: The surgeon inserts the IOL into the eye and starts positioning) Next, the surgeon starts the work of inserting the intraocular lens into the eye to be examined and determining the position where it is to be placed (positioning, centering) according to the procedures and techniques of a general cataract surgery (intraocular lens replacement).

[0102] (S4: Detect the eye center position and the IOL center position from the live image) After the intraocular lens is inserted into the eye to be examined in step S3, the analysis unit 211 detects the eye center position and the intraocular lens center position from the frame of the live image 301. The detection of the eye center position may be the same as the process in step S2. In this example, it is assumed that the detection of the corneal ring portion 302 and the detection of the corneal center 303 are performed (see FIGS. 6F and 6G).

[0103] The detection of the intraocular lens center position may be the same. For example, the analysis unit 211 first applies binarization, edge detection, or segmentation to the frame of the live image 301 to detect the outer edge 306 of the optical part (lens) of the intraocular lens (see FIG. 6F). Next, the analysis unit 211 identifies the position (pixel) 307 corresponding to the center of the optical part of the intraocular lens based on the detected outer edge 306 (see FIG. 6G). For example, the analysis unit 211 obtains an approximate ellipse (approximate circle) of the detected outer edge 306 and identifies the center of this approximate ellipse as the intraocular lens center position 307. The identification of the center of the approximate ellipse is performed, for example, by a known geometric method.

[0104] Similar to the case of step S2, the process of step S4 can be applied to the frames sequentially acquired as the live image 301. For example, the process of step S4 can be applied to all the frames acquired as the live image 301 (time-series image) to detect the eye center position and the intraocular lens center position, or the process of step S4 can be applied to the frames selected from all the frames acquired as the live image 301 to detect the eye center position and the intraocular lens center position. The selection of the frames may be, for example, a decimation process that performs selection at a predetermined number-of-frames interval.

[0105] (S5: Display the eye center position information and the IOL center position information on the live image) Next, the control unit 200 superimposes and displays the information indicating the eye center position (eye center position information) and the information indicating the intraocular lens center position (intraocular lens center position information) on the live image based on the eye center position and the intraocular lens center position detected in step S4.

[0106] An example of the display in step S5 is shown in FIG. 6H. In the live image 301, the cornea 308 of the eye to be examined, the pupil (not shown), the intraocular lens 309 inserted in step S3, etc. are depicted. On such a live image 301, the eye center position information 310 indicating the eye center position detected from the live image 301 in step S4 and the intraocular lens center position information 311 indicating the intraocular lens center position detected from the live image 301 in step S4 are also displayed. In this example, the eye center position information 310 and the intraocular lens center position information 311 are displayed in different manners. Thereby, the user can easily grasp the eye center position and the intraocular lens center position respectively, and can also easily grasp the positional relationship (relative position) between the eye center position and the intraocular lens center position. Such a display contributes to facilitating the positioning operation of the intraocular lens.

[0107] Another example of the display in step S5 is shown in FIG. 6I. In the live image 301 of this example, as in the case of FIG. 6H, the cornea 308 of the eye to be examined, the pupil (not shown), the intraocular lens 309 inserted in step S3, etc. are displayed, and further, the eye center position information 310 and the intraocular lens center position information 311 are displayed on the live image 301. In addition, in this example, guide information 312 for canceling the deviation is displayed by the control unit 200.

[0108] The guide information 312 includes arrow-shaped images indicating the direction in which the intraocular lens 309 should be moved. The guide information 312 in this example includes three arrow-shaped images pointing to the left. The direction of the arrow-shaped image indicates the direction in which the intraocular lens 309 should be moved (the moving direction of the intraocular lens 309 to cancel the deviation of the intraocular lens 309 with respect to the eye to be examined). Note that guide information indicating the direction of the deviation of the intraocular lens 309 with respect to the eye to be examined may also be displayed. Also, the number of arrow-shaped images indicates the distance by which the intraocular lens 309 should be moved (the amount / distance of the deviation of the intraocular lens 309 with respect to the eye to be examined). For example, the amount of deviation corresponding to one arrow-shaped image is determined in advance.

[0109] According to the guidance information 312 in this example, the user can understand that the intraocular lens 309 is displaced to the right with respect to the eye to be examined, and the intraocular lens 309 should be moved to the left by a distance corresponding to three arrow-shaped images.

[0110] Such guidance information 312 is generated based on the eye center position and the intraocular lens center position obtained in step S4. For example, the direction of the arrow-shaped image of the guidance information 312 is obtained as the direction of the vector starting from the intraocular lens center position and ending at the eye center position, and the number of arrow-shaped images is obtained as the magnitude (length) of the vector. Therefore, the guidance information 312 indicates the moving direction and the moving amount of the intraocular lens 309 for aligning the intraocular lens center position with the eye center position (that is, the moving direction and the moving amount of the intraocular lens 309 for achieving the centering of the intraocular lens 309).

[0111] When the guidance information 312 is displayed, the user can perform the centering operation of the intraocular lens 309 with reference to it. When the eye center position information 310 and the intraocular lens center position information 311 are displayed, the user can perform the centering operation of the intraocular lens 309 with reference to them.

[0112] (S6: Has the positioning of the IOL been completed?) Steps S4 and S5, and the centering operation of the intraocular lens 309 by the user (surgeon) are repeatedly performed until the positioning of the intraocular lens 309 is completed (S6: No). Steps S4 and S5 are executed at a predetermined time interval. Thereby, the user can perform the positioning operation (centering operation) of the intraocular lens 309 while referring to the eye center position information 310 and the intraocular lens center position information 311 that represent the positional relationship between the eye to be examined and the intraocular lens 309 in real time, and while referring to the guidance information 312 that indicates the direction and the distance by which the intraocular lens 309 should be moved.

[0113] Once the positioning of the intraocular lens 309 is completed (S6: Yes), the detection of the eye center position and the intraocular lens center position, the display of the eye center position information 310 and the intraocular lens center position information 311, and the display of the guide information 312 can be terminated (End). The user can then proceed to the next step of the cataract surgery.

[0114] <Modification Example> In the above embodiment, the case of assisting the centering operation of the intraocular lens by presenting the eye center position information and the intraocular lens center position information on the live image has been described in particular detail. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the same assistance can be provided in the positioning operation of any intraocular implant device such as an intraocular contact lens or a MIGS device.

[0115] Conventionally, when an intraocular contact lens is implanted, the flow state of the liquid (aqueous humor) in the eye may change and the intraocular pressure may increase, so an iridectomy has been performed to lower the intraocular pressure. On the other hand, an intraocular contact lens (hole ICL) with a hole formed in the center of the lens has been developed in recent years. In the hole ICL, aqueous humor can move through the hole, so an iridectomy is not required. This hole is very small and has no effect on vision. Note that the hole ICL does not correspond to eyes with a specific refractive power (such as hyperopia).

[0116] When such a hole ICL implantation surgery is performed, the ophthalmic observation device 1 can detect the hole formed in the center by the analysis unit 211, and the control unit 200 can display the information indicating the position of the detected hole together with the live image. This makes it possible to obtain the same operational effects as in the above embodiment. Note that when the visibility of the hole of the hole ICL drawn in the live image is sufficiently high, it is not necessary to detect the hole and display its position information, and the user can perform the positioning (centering) of the intraocular contact lens by referring to the image of the hole drawn in the live image and the eye center position information.

[0117] In an artifact having feature points (such as holes) like a Hall ICL, the positions of the feature points are precisely designed in advance. Therefore, the positional relationship between the feature points and the center of the optical part (lens) is known. Note that the feature points may or may not coincide with the center of the optical part. In this case, the position information of the feature points of the artifact is stored in advance in the control unit 200 (storage unit 202), and by referring to it, the position of the center of the optical part (or other part) of the artifact can be obtained, and the information indicating the obtained position can be displayed together with the live image.

[0118] More generally, information regarding the implanted artifact may be registered in advance, and information indicating the center position (or a predetermined part) of the optical part may be displayed together with the live image. Here, the information regarding the artifact may be, for example, the position information of the feature parts (such as holes, marks, character strings, unevenness, patterns) of the artifact, the shape information of the whole or part of the artifact, the thickness distribution information of the whole or part of the artifact, the color information of the whole or part of the artifact, and the like. The display of the position information of the predetermined part of the artifact may be started, for example, in response to the image of the artifact being drawn in the pupil region of the live image.

[0119] In the above embodiment, the eye center position is specified based on the corneal limbus of the eye to be examined, but the method for specifying the eye center position is not limited to this. Even when the eye center position is specified by other methods, it is possible to present the same guide information as in the above embodiment. Examples of other methods for specifying the eye center position include methods based on parts other than the corneal limbus (for example, the pupil, iris), methods based on projection light, methods based on instruments or marks attached to the eye, and methods based on information obtained from other systems (for example, augmented reality systems, virtual reality systems).

[0120] In the above-described embodiment, the positional relationship between the eye to be examined and the lens is determined based on the positional relationship between the eye center and the lens center. However, the method for determining the positional relationship between the eye to be examined and the lens is not limited to this. For example, based on the positional relationship between the corneal limbus (or the pupil margin, the inner iris margin, the outer iris margin) and the lens edge (outer edge), the positional relationship between the eye to be examined and the lens can be obtained. As an example, by utilizing the fact that both the corneal limbus (or the pupil margin, the inner iris margin, the outer iris margin) and the lens edge (outer edge) are substantially circular or substantially elliptical, the positional relationship between the eye to be examined and the lens can be determined based on the distance distribution between the corneal limbus (or the pupil margin, the inner iris margin, the outer iris margin) and the lens edge (outer edge), or the positional relationship between the eye to be examined and the lens can be determined based on the distance distribution between the approximate figure of the corneal limbus (or the pupil margin, the inner iris margin, the outer iris margin) and the approximate figure of the lens edge (outer edge).

[0121] For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the ophthalmic observation device 1 causes the display device 3 to display the live image 401 of the eye to be examined, and also displays the corneal limbus image 402, the pupil margin image 403, and the outer edge image 404 of the intraocular lens on the live image 401. Furthermore, the vertical line image 405 and the horizontal line image 406 can be displayed.

[0122] Each of the vertical line image 405 and the horizontal line image 406 is arranged, for example, so as to pass through the center of the circular or elliptical corneal limbus image 402. Note that only one of the vertical line image 405 and the horizontal line image 406 may be displayed, or an obliquely arranged line image may be displayed, or a line image having a shape other than a straight line (for example, a curved shape) may be displayed. Also, the line image may be arranged so as to pass through the center of the pupil margin image 403, or may be arranged so as to pass through the center of the outer edge image 404 of the intraocular lens.

[0123] By referring to such line images (for example, the vertical line image 405 and the horizontal line image 406), the positional relationship between the corneal limbus image 402 (pupil margin image 403) and the outer edge image 404 of the intraocular lens can be automatically evaluated, and the user can easily grasp the positional relationship between the corneal limbus image 402 (pupil margin image 403) and the outer edge image 404 of the intraocular lens.

[0124] The automatic evaluation of the positional relationship between the corneal limbus image 402 (pupil edge image 403) and the outer edge image 404 of the intraocular lens includes a process of calculating predetermined evaluation parameters and a determination process based on the calculated evaluation parameters. The evaluation parameters may be, for example, the uniformity of the distribution of the interval (distance) between the corneal limbus image 402 (pupil edge image 403) and the outer edge image 404 of the intraocular lens, or the concentricity (eccentricity) between the corneal limbus image 402 (pupil edge image 403) and the outer edge image 404 of the intraocular lens.

[0125] The ophthalmic observation device 1 can display, for example, guide information for making the interval distribution between the corneal limbus image 402 (pupil edge image 403) and the outer edge image 404 of the intraocular lens uniform, or guide information for increasing the concentricity. For example, similar to FIG. 6I in the above embodiment, guide information 407 (arrow-shaped image group) indicating the direction and distance in which the intraocular lens should be moved can be displayed. Note that the guide information is not limited to this example.

[0126] <Method for Controlling an Ophthalmic Observation Device> An exemplary embodiment (for example, the above-described ophthalmic observation device 1) provides a method for controlling an ophthalmic observation device. Any matters related to the ophthalmic observation device 1 of the above embodiment can be combined with the exemplary method described below.

[0127] An ophthalmic observation apparatus controlled by the method of the exemplary embodiment includes an optical system (e.g., illumination optical system 30 and observation optical system 40) for generating a moving image of an eye to be examined, and a processor (e.g., control unit 200 and data processing unit 210). The method of the exemplary embodiment first causes the optical system to generate a moving image of the eye to be examined with an artifact inserted therein. Further, the method of the exemplary embodiment causes the processor to analyze a still image included in the generated moving image to identify a first part image corresponding to a predetermined part of the eye to be examined and a second part image corresponding to a predetermined part of the artifact. In addition, the method of the exemplary embodiment causes the processor to display on a display device the generated moving image, first position information indicating the position of the identified first part image, and second position information indicating the position of the identified second part image.

[0128] According to such a method of the exemplary embodiment, the same operations and effects as those of the ophthalmic observation apparatus 1 of the above embodiment can be achieved. Further, by combining the matters related to the ophthalmic observation apparatus 1 of the above embodiment with the method of the exemplary embodiment, the resulting method can achieve the operations and effects corresponding to the combined matters.

[0129] <Program> The exemplary embodiment provides a program that causes a computer to execute the method of the above-described exemplary embodiment. It is possible to combine the matters related to the ophthalmic observation apparatus 1 of the above embodiment with such a program.

[0130] According to such a program, the same operations and effects as those of the ophthalmic observation apparatus 1 of the above embodiment can be achieved. Further, by combining the matters related to the ophthalmic observation apparatus 1 of the above embodiment with the program, the resulting program can achieve the operations and effects corresponding to the combined matters.

[0131] <Recording Medium> Exemplary embodiments provide a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium storing the above-described program. It is possible to combine matters related to the ophthalmic observation device 1 of the above embodiment with such a recording medium. The form of the non-transitory recording medium may be arbitrary, and examples thereof include magnetic disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, semiconductor memories, and the like.

[0132] According to such a recording medium, the same operations and effects as those of the ophthalmic observation device 1 of the above embodiment can be achieved. Further, by combining the matters related to the ophthalmic observation device 1 of the above embodiment with the recording medium, the resulting recording medium can achieve the operations and effects corresponding to the combined matters.

[0133] The present disclosure is merely illustrative of embodiments, and any modifications, omissions, additions, substitutions, etc. can be made within the scope of the present disclosure and its equivalents.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0134] 1 Ophthalmic observation device 2 Operating device 3 Display device 10 Surgical microscope 30 Illumination optical system 40 Observation optical system 200 Control unit 210 Data processing unit 211 Analysis unit

Claims

1. An ophthalmic observation device for observing an eye to be examined, comprising: a moving image generation unit that captures the eye to be examined with an intraocular lens inserted therein and generates a moving image; an analysis unit that analyzes a still image included in the moving image to identify a first part image corresponding to a predetermined part of the eye to be examined and a second part image corresponding to a predetermined part of the intraocular lens; a display control unit that causes a display device to display the moving image, first position information indicating the position of the first part image, and second position information indicating the position of the second part image; wherein the predetermined part of the eye to be examined is the central position of the eye to be examined; the predetermined part of the intraocular lens is the central position of the intraocular lens; the display control unit displays eye center position information indicating the central position of the eye to be examined as the first position information; displays intraocular lens center position information indicating the central position of the intraocular lens as the second position information; and based on the eye center position information and the intraocular lens center position information, displays guidance information for the user based on the deviation between the central position of the eye to be examined and the central position of the intraocular lens. An ophthalmic observation device.

2. The display control unit displays first guidance information indicating the moving direction of the intraocular lens as the guidance information. The ophthalmic observation device according to Claim 1.

3. The display control unit further displays second guidance information indicating the moving distance of the intraocular lens as the guidance information. The ophthalmic observation device according to Claim 2.

4. The display control unit displays the eye center position information and the intraocular lens center position information in different manners from each other. The ophthalmic observation device according to any one of Claims 1 to 3.

5. In parallel with the generation of the moving image by the moving image generation unit, the analysis unit sequentially identifies the first part image and the second part image from the still images sequentially generated by the moving image generation unit. In parallel with the sequential generation of the still images by the moving image generation unit and the sequential analysis of the still images by the analysis unit, the display control unit sequentially updates the eye center position information and the intraocular lens center position information displayed together with the moving image. The ophthalmic observation device according to any one of Claims 1 to 4.

6. The central position of the eye to be examined is the corneal center or the pupil center. The ophthalmic observation device according to any one of Claims 1 to 5.

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