Ophthalmic device and lighting control method

Abstract

To provide an ophthalmologic apparatus and an illumination control method capable of performing more accurate observation of a subject eye by suppressing occurrence of a shadow on eyelids, while avoiding shading of illumination light of background illumination by an illumination system.SOLUTION: An ophthalmologic apparatus includes an illumination system supported rotatably around a subject eye, while directing a direction of radiation of first illumination light toward the subject eye, an observation system provided on the opposite side to an arrangement position of the subject eye with respect to the illumination system, and light emission parts for background illumination provided in the observation system, on lower positions than the subject eye; and further has an avoidance operation function for avoiding shading, caused by the illumination system, of second illumination light emitted from the light emission part by moving the light emission parts according to the position of the illumination system.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an ophthalmic apparatus and an illumination control method. [Background technology]

[0002] Ophthalmic devices such as slit lamp microscopes having a light source for background illumination have been proposed. Background illumination is used to confirm the position on the subject's eye where slit light is irradiated during observation of the subject's eye, and to prevent overexposure during camera photography of the subject's eye. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an ophthalmic device (slit lamp microscope) in which background illumination is installed above the observation system. The background illumination of this ophthalmic device is arranged so that, when turned on, illumination light is emitted obliquely downward so as to pass above a deflection optical system (illumination system), and reaches the subject's eye while avoiding shading of the illumination light by the illumination system. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-141998 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the ophthalmologic apparatus of Patent Document 1, illumination light is irradiated onto the subject's eye from above, which can cause shadows to be cast on the observation area of ​​the subject's eye by the eyelid, making it difficult to properly observe the observation area, such as the anterior segment of the eye.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide an ophthalmic apparatus and an illumination control method that enable more accurate observation of the subject's eye by suppressing the occurrence of shadows on the eyelids while avoiding blocking of background illumination light from an illumination system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the ophthalmic device of the present disclosure comprises an illumination system that is rotatably supported around the test eye while directing the irradiation direction of first illumination light toward the test eye, an observation system that is provided on the opposite side of the illumination system from the position of the test eye, and a light-emitting unit for background illumination that is provided in the observation system at a position below the test eye, and has an avoidance operation function that moves the light-emitting unit according to the position of the illumination system to prevent the second illumination light emitted from the light-emitting unit from being blocked by the illumination system.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the illumination control method of the present disclosure is an ophthalmic apparatus including an illumination system that is rotatably supported around the subject's eye while directing the irradiation direction of first illumination light toward the subject's eye, an observation system that is provided on the opposite side of the illumination system from the position of the subject's eye, and a light-emitting unit for background illumination that is provided in the observation system at a position below the subject's eye, and moves the light-emitting unit according to the position of the illumination system to avoid the second illumination light emitted from the light-emitting unit being blocked by the illumination system. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the ophthalmic apparatus of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an ophthalmic apparatus and an illumination control method that can prevent the occurrence of shadows on the eyelids while avoiding blocking of background illumination light from the illumination system, thereby enabling more accurate observation of the subject's eye. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of an ophthalmologic apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 2 is a perspective view of an illumination system and an observation system of the ophthalmic apparatus of the first embodiment, as viewed from the subject side. FIG. [Figure 3] 10 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which a lighting device is attached to each of a wide camera device and a narrow camera device (Modification 1 of Embodiment 1). FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a front view showing a state in which the illumination system of the ophthalmologic apparatus of the first embodiment has been moved. FIG. [Figure 5]2 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between an eye to be examined, an illumination system, and a light-emitting unit in the ophthalmologic apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the ophthalmologic apparatus. [Figure 7] 4 is an operation flowchart of the ophthalmologic apparatus of the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second modification of the ophthalmologic apparatus of the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is an enlarged view of a rotary shaft to which an optical encoder is attached in an ophthalmologic apparatus according to a second embodiment, and a rotary shaft to which a magnetic encoder according to a first modified example of the second embodiment is attached. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is an operation flowchart of the ophthalmologic apparatus of the second embodiment. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are front views illustrating ophthalmologic apparatuses according to Modifications 2 and 3 of Embodiment 2. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an illumination system and an observation system of an ophthalmic apparatus according to a third embodiment, as viewed from the patient side. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a front view illustrating an ophthalmologic apparatus according to a first modified example of the third embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a front view of an ophthalmologic apparatus according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a front view of an ophthalmologic apparatus according to a fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the subject side of the ophthalmic device 10 will be referred to as the front, the opposite side (examiner side) as the back, the left side as seen from the subject side as the left, and the opposite side as the right. In addition, the ophthalmic device 10 will be described with the upper side of FIG. 1 as the top, and the opposite side as the bottom.

[0011] First, the configuration of the ophthalmic apparatus 10 will be described. Fig. 1 is a side view of the ophthalmic apparatus 10A (10). As shown in Fig. 1, the ophthalmic apparatus 10A of this embodiment is a so-called Zeiss-type (Littman-type) slit lamp microscope, and includes a base 12, a face support unit 14, an electric drive unit 16, a movable table 18, an operating lever 20, a first support member 22, a microscope support arm 24, a rotating shaft 26, a second support member 28, a rotating shaft 30, an illumination system 32, an observation system 34 (microscope unit), an illumination device 36 for background illumination, and a light source operating unit 38.

[0012] The base 12 can be placed on an optometry table (not shown). The face support unit 14 is provided above the base 12. The electric drive unit 16 and the light source operation unit 38 are provided on the upper surface of the base 12. The movable table 18 is held so as to be movable in the horizontal direction (front-back direction Dy and left-right direction Dx). The front-back direction Dy is the forward direction approaching the subject and the rearward direction away from the subject, and the left-right direction Dx is the interpupillary direction of the subject.

[0013] The face support unit 14 has a pair of support columns 14a fixed to the base 12 and extending in the vertical direction, a chin rest 14b provided in the vertical middle of the pair of support columns 14a, and a forehead rest 14c provided at the vertical upper ends of the pair of support columns 14a. The subject's face is supported by the face support unit 14 when the subject places their chin on the chin rest 14b and their forehead on the forehead rest 14c. This fixes the position of the subject's eye E. The subject's eye E is fixed so as to be located approximately above the rotation axis 26 and the rotation axis 30.

[0014] The electric drive unit 16 is a movement mechanism that moves the movable table 18 in horizontal directions (left-right direction Dx and front-back direction Dy) on the base 12. Furthermore, the operating lever 20 is provided at the rear end above and on the rear side (examiner side) of the movable table 18. Furthermore, a first support member 22 is provided on the upper surface of the movable table 18 so as to be movable in the up-down direction (liftable).

[0015] The electric drive unit 16 includes a plurality of motors (not shown) and a drive transmission mechanism (not shown) that converts the rotation of each motor into drive force in the horizontal direction (Dx, Dy) and the up-down direction Dz. The electric drive unit 16 has a function of moving the movable table 18 in the horizontal direction (Dx, Dy) in response to operation of the operating lever 20, and a function of moving the first support member 22 in the up-down direction Dz. This makes it possible to adjust the position of the first support member 22 (illumination system 32 and observation system 34) relative to the subject's eye E.

[0016] The operating lever 20 is an operating member for manually moving the first support member 22 (illumination system 32 and observation system 34) in the horizontal directions (Dx, Dy) and the up-down direction Dz. For example, when the operating lever 20 is tilted in the front-back direction Dy or the left-right direction Dx, the electric drive unit 16 moves the movable table 18 in the front-back direction Dy or the left-right direction Dx. When the operating lever 20 is rotated about its axis, the electric drive unit 16 moves the first support member 22 in the up-down direction Dz. A switch 20a used for imaging, etc. is provided at the top of the operating lever 20.

[0017] A microscope support arm 24 is provided on the first support member 22. This microscope support arm 24 has a horizontal arm portion 24a and a vertical arm portion 24b, and is formed in a generally L-shape when viewed from the side, as shown in FIG.

[0018] The front end (toward the eye E) of the horizontal arm 24a is attached to the first support member 22 via a rotation shaft 26 extending in the up-down direction Dz so as to be horizontally rotatable (rotation on a horizontal plane as the rotation plane). The second support member 28 is attached to the first support member 22 via a rotation shaft 30 located on an extension of (i.e., approximately coaxial with) the rotation shaft 26 of the horizontal arm 24a so as to be horizontally rotatable.

[0019] The horizontal rotation of the microscope support arm 24 around the rotation axis 26 and the horizontal rotation of the second support member 28 around the rotation axis 30 may be performed manually by the examiner or electrically using an electric rotation mechanism not shown.

[0020] An observation system 34, which is a microscope unit, is attached to the upper end of the vertical arm portion 24b. An illumination system 32 is provided on the second support member 28.

[0021] The illumination system 32 includes a slit lamp 44 that emits first illumination light L1 and a deflection optical system 46. The slit lamp 44 emits slit light as the first illumination light L1 toward the deflection optical system 46. The deflection optical system 46 is provided above the slit lamp 44 and includes a deflection unit 48 located above the slit lamp 44 that deflects the first illumination light L1 toward the subject's eye E. The deflection unit 48 is composed of a deflection optical element such as a mirror (reflector) or a prism, and deflects (guides) the first illumination light L1 emitted from the slit lamp 44 toward the subject's eye E. This allows the first illumination light L1 to be irradiated onto the subject's eye E. In this embodiment, a prism is used as the deflection optical element. The slit lamp 44 and the deflection optical system 46 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 1 , and there are no particular limitations on their shape, structure, or arrangement as long as they are configured to be usable in a Zeiss-type slit lamp microscope.

[0022] The illumination system 32 is rotated horizontally together with the second support member 28 around the rotation axis 30. The face support section 14 fixes the face so that the subject's eye E is positioned substantially above the rotation axis 30, and therefore the illumination system 32 is supported rotatably around the subject's eye E while directing the irradiation direction of the first illumination light L1 toward the subject's eye E. This makes it possible to adjust the irradiation direction (incident angle) of the first illumination light L1 with respect to the subject's eye E.

[0023] The observation system 34 is provided on the opposite side of the illumination system 32 from the position where the subject's eye E is arranged. The observation system 34 is used to observe the subject's eye E, which is illuminated with the first illumination light L1 emitted from the illumination system 32 and various lights emitted from an illumination device 36 described below. An objective lens 50, which serves as a light receiving unit, is provided at the front end of the observation system 34 on the front side (the subject's eye E side), and an eyepiece lens 52 is provided at the rear end of the observation system 34 on the rear side (the examiner side). The symbol LA in FIG. 1 is an axis connecting the subject's eye E and the objective lens 50 (light receiving unit), and is the optical axis (observation axis) of the objective lens 50.

[0024] The observation system 34, for example, adjusts the magnification of light received by the objective lens 50 and guides the light toward the examiner (the rear side of the ophthalmic apparatus 10), and emits the light from the eyepiece 52. The observation system 34 can be rotated horizontally together with the microscope support arm 24 around the rotation axis 26. Therefore, the observation system 34 can adjust the observation direction of the subject's eye E.

[0025] The observation system 34 of this embodiment also has a camera device 56 that captures an image of the subject's eye E via the optical system of the observation system 34. The camera device 56 is provided on the opposite side of the observation system 34 from the subject's eye E (or the objective lens 50). The camera device 56 is, for example, a digital camera. The camera device 56 is formed to be elongated, and is detachably attached to the housing of the observation system 34 (to the vertical arm portion 24b in the example of FIG. 1) with its major axis facing the up-down direction Dz.

[0026] The camera device 56 includes an imaging unit 561 (not shown) that receives and images the first illumination light L1 reflected by the subject's eye E, a power supply circuit 562, and a control circuit 563. The imaging unit 561 is an imaging element such as a CMOS image sensor or a CCD image sensor. A portion of the first illumination light L1 incident on the camera device 56 via the objective lens 50 is guided to the imaging unit 561 by a half mirror or the like and imaged. Another portion of the first illumination light L1 is guided toward the eyepiece 52. The power supply circuit 562 is a circuit that supplies driving power to the camera device 56. The power supply circuit 562 may be configured as a circuit that distributes a portion of the power supplied from the ophthalmic apparatus 10 to each functional unit, or may be configured to include a battery, a transformer, or a power generation circuit.

[0027] The illumination device 36 is provided in the observation system 34 at a position below the subject's eye E. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of an observation system 34A (34) in which an illumination device 36A is attached to a wide camera device 56 of this embodiment. The ophthalmologic apparatus 10A in FIG. 1 has the observation system 34A. The illumination device 36A of the observation system 34A has an elongated illumination main body 361 provided with a plurality of light-emitting units 363 (details of which will be described later) for background illumination, and arm portions 362 extending rearward from both ends of the illumination main body 361. The illumination device 36A is formed in a substantially U-shape in plan view, with the illumination main body 361 and the arm portions 362 connected at a substantially right angle.

[0028] The camera device 56 in the observation system 34A of this embodiment has the above-mentioned imaging unit 561 and light-emitting unit 363. The illumination device 36A is connected to and fixed to the camera device 56. For example, the illumination device 36A is connected to the camera device 56 so that the arm 362 of the U-shaped illumination main body 361 sandwiches the vertical arm 24b of the observation system 34A. The illumination device 36A is formed so as to be insertable into and removable from the subject's eye E side of the camera device 56, which is wider than the vertical arm 24b in the movable direction of the illumination system 32 as seen from the subject's eye E side. In the example of the observation system 34A, the illumination device 36A is fixed to the camera device 56 by connecting an insertion portion 362a (e.g., a jack) provided at the end of the arm 362 to an insertion portion 56a (e.g., a receptacle) provided on the camera device 56. The lower surface of the lighting main body 361 may be supported by a support protrusion that protrudes forward from the front side surface of the vertical arm 24b.

[0029] Furthermore, the lighting device 36A can receive power from the power supply circuit 562 of the camera device 56 via a wiring cable that passes through the inside of the arm portion 362. Furthermore, the control circuit of the lighting device 36 may share a circuit board with the control circuit 563 of the camera device 56, or may be provided on a circuit board separate from the circuit board of the control circuit 563 for the camera device 56 and housed within the housing of the camera device 56. By housing the circuit board of the control circuit of the lighting device 36 within the housing of the camera device 56, the lighting device 36 and the camera device 56 as a whole can be made smaller.

[0030] The light-emitting unit 363 has a light source that can selectively emit different types of light (for example, three types of light: visible light, infrared light, and excitation light) to the subject's eye E. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, an infrared light source 363a that can emit infrared light and a visible light source 363b that can emit visible light are arranged above and below on the front side of the illumination main body 361.

[0031] The light source control unit 38 is provided on the rear side (examiner side) of the upper surface of the base 12. This light source control unit 38, which will be described in detail later, is used by the examiner to turn on or off the slit lamp 44 and adjust the light intensity, as well as to turn on or off the light-emitting unit 363 and adjust the light intensity.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a front view of the illumination system 32 and the observation system 34 as viewed from the examinee (eye E). FIG. 4 shows ophthalmic devices 10A and 10B in which the relative position of the illumination system 32 with respect to the observation system 34 is different. A plurality of light-emitting units 363 are provided in the left-right direction Dx, which is the movable direction of the illumination system 32 as viewed from the examinee's eye E. In other words, the illumination system 32 is configured to be movable in the arrangement direction of the light-emitting units 363. The light-emitting unit 363 of this embodiment has one infrared light source 363a and one visible light source 363b, which are the same type of light source, disposed at both ends on the right and left sides in a front view. The visible light source 363b is disposed above the infrared light source 363a.

[0033] 5 is a plan view of the illumination system 32 and the observation system 34. In a plan view seen from the direction of the rotation axis 30 of the illumination system 32, the light-emitting unit 363 is disposed outside the shading angle θ formed by two tangent lines L3 of the illumination system 32 when the illumination system 32 is positioned on the observation axis LA connecting the origin O, which is the position of the eye E (a reference position for the eye E, such as the approximate center position of the eye E or the position of the anterior eye segment), and the objective lens 50, which is the light-receiving unit of the observation system 34. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, when the illumination system 32 is positioned approximately on the observation axis LA, the eye E can be irradiated with the second illumination light L2 as background illumination from both light-emitting units 363 disposed at both ends of the illumination device 36 in the left-right direction Dx.

[0034] 6 is a schematic diagram of the light source control unit 38 and the control device 40 included in the ophthalmic apparatus 10A (10). The light source control unit 38 includes a slit lamp light source control unit 381, an infrared light source control unit 382, ​​and a visible light source control unit 383. The ophthalmic apparatus 10A also includes a storage device (also referred to as a storage medium) (not shown) that stores control programs for executing the various functions of the ophthalmic apparatus 10A.

[0035] The slit lamp light source operation unit 381 receives an operation to turn the slit lamp 44 on or off and an operation to adjust the light intensity of the first illumination light (slit light) emitted from the slit lamp 44. The infrared light source operation unit 382 receives an operation to turn the infrared light source 363a on or off and an operation to adjust the light intensity of the infrared light emitted from the infrared light source 363a. The visible light source operation unit 383 receives an operation to turn the visible light source 363b on or off and an operation to adjust the light intensity of the visible light emitted from the visible light source 363b.

[0036] The control device 40 is provided, for example, inside the movable table 18 (or may be outside the ophthalmic apparatus 10A) and controls the overall operation of each part of the ophthalmic apparatus 10A. The control device 40 is a computing device such as a personal computer and includes an arithmetic circuit composed of various processors, memories, etc. The various processors include a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a programmable logic device (e.g., a simple programmable logic device (SPLD), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA)). The various functions of the control device 40 may be implemented by a single processor or by multiple processors of the same or different types.

[0037] The control device 40 drives the electric drive unit 16 to move the movable table 18 in the forward / backward direction Dy or the left / right direction Dx in response to tilting operation of the operating lever 20 in the forward / backward direction Dy or the left / right direction Dx, and drives the electric drive unit 16 to move the first support member 22 in the up / down direction Dz in response to rotation operation of the operating lever 20 around its axis.

[0038] Furthermore, the control device 40 controls the on / off of each of the light sources, the slit lamp 44, the infrared light source 363a, and the visible light source 363b, and the adjustment of the light intensity of the light emitted from each light source, in response to input of an on / off operation and a light intensity adjustment operation to the light source operation unit 38. This allows the examiner to easily switch the light source on or off corresponding to the on / off operation, and adjust the light intensity of the light emitted from the light source corresponding to the light intensity adjustment operation. Therefore, the control device 40 functions as the light source control unit of the present invention. This makes it possible to switch the light source and adjust the light intensity, etc., more easily than when performed manually (e.g., by switching a filter, etc.).

[0039] 4, the ophthalmic apparatus 10A-1 (10A) shows a state in which an illumination device 36A that is wide in the left-right direction Dx is attached to the observation system 34, and the illumination system 32 is positioned approximately on the observation axis LA. In the ophthalmic apparatus 10A-1, even if the observation system 34 is displaced to some extent in the left-right direction Dx with respect to the observation axis LA, the subject's eye E can be irradiated with the second illumination light L2 from the light-emitting units 363 on both the left and right ends.

[0040] Furthermore, as in the ophthalmic apparatus 10A-2 (10A) of Figure 4, when the illumination system 32 moves relative to the observation system 34, one of the left and right light-emitting units 363 may be blocked by the illumination system 32. However, the ophthalmic apparatus 10A-2 (10A) of this embodiment has multiple light-emitting units 363 in the left-right direction Dx, and therefore the second illumination light L2 emitted from at least some of the light-emitting units 363 (in Figure 4, the right light-emitting unit 363) can be irradiated onto the subject's eye E regardless of the position of the illumination system 32.

[0041] An example of an operation flowchart of the ophthalmic apparatus 10A will now be described with reference to Fig. 7. Note that in the flowchart of Fig. 7, steps S08 and S09 will be described as an example in which the ophthalmic apparatus 10A is operated semi-manually (or semi-automatically by the control device 40) using the operation lever 20 or the light source operation unit 38, etc., but other processes may be executed either manually or automatically by the control device 40.

[0042] First, in step S01, the subject places his / her chin on the chin rest 14b to support his / her face and fix the position of the subject's eye E. In step S02, a user such as an examiner turns on the power of the illumination system 32 (switches it to "ON") by operating the operation lever 20 or the like.

[0043] In step S03, the user adjusts the position and angle of the illumination system 32 by operating the operating lever 20 or the like in accordance with the position of the subject's eye E. In step S04, the user adjusts the alignment of the ophthalmic apparatus 10A. In addition, the user adjusts the slit width of the first illumination light L1 irradiated onto the subject's eye E in step S05 by operating the light source operating unit 38 or the like, and adjusts the brightness of the first illumination light L1 or the like in step S06.

[0044] In step S07, the user checks the emission angle of the first illumination light L1 from the illumination system 32 to the test eye E relative to the observation axis LA, and the ophthalmic apparatus 10A adjusts the position of the illumination system 32 by user operation so that the illumination system 32 is at any position (i.e., any angle relative to the observation axis LA).

[0045] In step S08, the control device 40 turns on (or switches to "ON") any light source for background illumination in response to a user's operation on the light source operation unit 38. Whether the infrared light source 363a or the visible light source 363b of the light-emitting unit 363 is to be turned on may be set manually by a user's operation, or may be set automatically by the control device 40.

[0046] In step S09, the control device 40 adjusts the brightness of the light source for background illumination that has been turned on. The ophthalmic apparatus 10A of this embodiment has a function of adjusting the brightness of the light-emitting unit 363 depending on the relative positions of the illumination system 32 and the light-emitting unit 363. The brightness adjustment function is performed by the user via the light source operation unit 38 while checking an image of the subject's eye E using, for example, the eyepiece 52 (see FIG. 1 ) or an external monitor (not shown).

[0047] The control device 40 can turn on the left and right light-emitting units 363 when the user operates the light source operating unit 38 so that the illumination system 32 is positioned on the observation axis LA side and the second illumination light L2 emitted from the left and right light-emitting units 363 can be irradiated onto the subject's eye E (see the ophthalmic device 10A-1 in Figure 4).

[0048] On the other hand, during observation of the subject's eye E, the illumination system 32 is located at a position deviated from (away from) the observation axis LA connecting the subject's eye E and the objective lens 50, which is the light-receiving unit of the observation system 34, and irradiates the subject's eye E with the first illumination light L1 from a direction tilted with respect to the observation axis LA. Therefore, when the illumination system 32 is located to the left (or right) of the observation axis LA and the second illumination light L2 emitted from some of the light-emitting units 363 is blocked (see the ophthalmic apparatus 10A-2 in FIG. 4), some of the light-emitting units 363 from which the second illumination light L2 is blocked are turned off. This makes it possible to reduce unnecessary power consumption of the ophthalmic apparatus 10A.

[0049] In step S10, the camera device 56 is operated by inputting an operation to the operation lever 20, and an image of the subject's eye E is captured. The captured image is stored in a storage device or the like of the ophthalmologic apparatus 10A.

[0050] The ophthalmic device 10A of this embodiment has been described above. In the conventional ophthalmic device exemplified in Patent Document 1, an operator such as an ophthalmologist or nurse had to operate an illumination adjustment means located away from the operator's hand to turn the background illumination power on or off and control dimming, which was time-consuming. Furthermore, the illumination device for background illumination was sometimes configured to receive power through wiring separate from the power supply used for other components of the ophthalmic device. Therefore, two systems of wiring had to be drawn out from the ophthalmic device, which required space for installing the ophthalmic device and increased wiring costs, making it uneconomical.

[0051] In the ophthalmic apparatus 10A of this embodiment, the illumination device 36A is connected to the camera device 56, allowing the user to adjust background illumination at hand. Furthermore, the power supply for the second illumination light L2 can also be used as the power supply for the camera device 56, which is expected to reduce wiring and space. In conventional configurations, an illumination device for background illumination was attached to the top of the observation system, which resulted in a relatively high top position of the observation system housing. This sometimes made it difficult to install devices such as an applanation tonometer. However, the ophthalmic apparatus 10A can share the control circuits and power supply circuit boards for the illumination device 36 and the camera device 56, thereby achieving cost reduction, reduced wiring, and a smaller size (space savings) while still providing illumination and imaging functions.

[0052] In the present embodiment, the illumination device 36A is configured to be insertable and detachable (attachable and detachable) from the side of the subject's eye E, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the illumination device 36A may be configured to be insertable and detachable (attachable and detachable) from the examiner's side, the right or left side, or the top side of the ophthalmologic apparatus 10 with respect to the camera device 56, or from any other direction.

[0053] (Modification 1 of Embodiment 1) 3, in the present embodiment, the illumination device 36 is configured to be insertable into and removable from the subject's eye E side of the camera device 56, which is wider than the vertical arm portion 24b, but as shown in the observation system 34B in Fig. 3, the camera device 56 may be configured so that its left-right width is narrower than that of the illumination device 36B, and the insertion portion 362a may be connected to the insertion portions 56a formed on the left and right side surfaces of the camera device 56. When the illumination device 36B is connected to the camera device 56, unintentional detachment of the illumination device 36B can be prevented.

[0054] (Modification 2 of Embodiment 1) FIG. 8 is a front view of an ophthalmic apparatus 10C (10) having an illumination system 32C (32) that is taller than the observation system 34 shown in FIG. 1. In the description of the ophthalmic apparatus 10C, the same components as those in the ophthalmic apparatus 10A are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted or simplified. The ophthalmic apparatus 10C includes a so-called tower-type illumination system 32C instead of the illumination system 32A of the first embodiment. The illumination system 32C includes two support columns 32C1 spaced apart from each other so as to open around the observation axis LA in the front view of FIG. 8. The lower part of each support column 32C1 is supported by the second support member 28 shown in FIG. 1 (details not shown), and is rotatably connected to the pivot shaft 30. A slit lamp 44 and an illumination optical system 46C are disposed above the support columns 32C1. The illumination optical system 46C of the illumination system 32C is provided below the slit lamp 44 and includes a deflection unit 48C located below the slit lamp 44 that deflects the first illumination light L1 toward the subject's eye E. The deflection unit 48C is supported by the second support member 28 (see also FIG. 1) of the illumination system 32C, but detailed illustration of the support structure is omitted. The deflection unit 48C has the same function as the deflection unit 48 described above and is, for example, a mirror (reflector) or a prism, and deflects (guides) the first illumination light L1 emitted from the slit lamp 44 toward the subject's eye E.

[0055] 5 also shows the positional relationship between the support 32C1 of the ophthalmic apparatus 10C (the support 32C1 is shown by a dashed line), the subject's eye E, and the light-emitting unit 363. In a plan view seen from the direction of the rotation axis 30 of the illumination system 32 (32C), the light-emitting unit 363 is disposed outside the shading angle θ formed by two tangent lines L3 of the illumination system 32 (32C) when the illumination system 32 (32C) is located on the observation axis LA connecting the origin O, which is the position of the subject's eye E, to the objective lens 50, which is the light-receiving unit of the observation system 34. Therefore, when the tower-type illumination system 32C is located on the observation axis LA, the subject's eye E can be irradiated with the second illumination light L2 as background illumination from both of the light-emitting units 363 disposed at both ends of the illumination device 36A in the left-right direction Dx.

[0056] In the case of an ophthalmic apparatus in which a light-emitting unit for background illumination is installed above the observation system, if a tower-type illumination system (e.g., illumination system 32C) is used, it is expected that, depending on the rotation position of the illumination system, the illumination light emitted from the light-emitting unit may be blocked by the illumination system, preventing the illumination system from sufficiently illuminating the subject's eye E. However, even when the tower-type illumination system 32C is used, the ophthalmic apparatus 10C equipped with the illumination device 36A of this embodiment can prevent the illumination light for background illumination from being blocked by the illumination system, suppress the occurrence of a shadow on the eyelid of the subject's eye E, and irradiate the subject's eye E with the second illumination light L2 as background illumination from any of the light-emitting units 363, thereby enabling more accurate observation of the subject's eye.

[0057] (Embodiment 2) Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. An ophthalmic apparatus 10D of the second embodiment automatically controls dimming of the second illumination light emitted from a light source for background illumination. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the rotation shafts 26, 30 of an ophthalmic apparatus 10D including rotation shafts 26, 30 to which an optical encoder 61 (position detection unit) is attached, and an ophthalmic apparatus 10E including rotation shafts 26, 30 to which a magnetic encoder 62 (position detection unit) is attached. In the second embodiment, the ophthalmic apparatus 10D will be described. Note that in the description of the ophthalmic apparatus 10D, the same components as those of the ophthalmic apparatus 10A will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

[0058] The ophthalmic device 10D has a configuration similar to that of the ophthalmic device 10A shown in FIG. 1 . The ophthalmic device 10D has an optical encoder 61 on the rotation shafts 26 and 30. The optical encoder 61 is, for example, a rotary encoder, and includes an optical sensor 611 and a slit disk 612. The slit disk 612 is arranged coaxially with the rotation shafts 26 and 30, is formed in a flat plate shape, and has a plurality of slits (openings or notches) intermittently formed around the outer periphery in the circumferential direction. The optical sensor 611 is a light-emitting / receiving sensor in which a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit are formed integrally or separately. The optical sensor 611 irradiates light at the arrangement position of the slit disk 612 and receives the reflected or transmitted light. The control device 40 (see FIG. 6 ) of the ophthalmic device 10D can detect the rotation angle of the rotation shafts 26 and 30 by receiving a light detection signal from the optical sensor 611. Therefore, the control device 40 can detect the rotation angle of the illumination system 32 relative to the observation system 34 by using the optical encoder 61.

[0059] Next, an example of an operation flowchart of the ophthalmologic apparatus 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. In the flowchart of Fig. 10, the processes or operations of steps S21, S22, S23, S24, S25, and S26 are similar to the processes or operations of steps S01, S02, S03, S04, S05, and S06, respectively. Furthermore, the process of step S29 is similar to the process of step S10.

[0060] In step S27, the ophthalmic apparatus 10D turns on (or switches to "ON") the light source for background illumination in response to a user's operation on the light source operation unit 38. The ophthalmic apparatus 10D also has a function of controlling the light-emitting unit 363 to adjust its dimming level in accordance with the relative positions of the illumination system 32 and the light-emitting unit 363. The dimming control includes switching the emission of the second illumination light L2 by the light-emitting unit 363 on or off and adjusting the light intensity. As an example of dimming control, the control device 40 detects the relative position (rotation angle) of the illumination system 32 with respect to the observation system 34, adjusted in step S23, using the optical encoder 61. The control device 40 has a function of automatically selecting and turning on the light-emitting unit 363, which is the light source for background illumination of the ophthalmic apparatus 10A shown in FIG. 4, for example, so as to turn on one side of the light-emitting unit 363 that is not shaded by the illumination system 32 (the side that is not in the shadow of the illumination system 32) and turn off the other side that is shaded by the illumination system 32. The light emitting portion 363 that is turned on emits the second illumination light L2 (see FIG. 1).

[0061] The ophthalmic apparatus 10D has correspondence information stored in advance in a storage device that associates the rotation angles of the illumination system 32 and the observation system 34 with light blocking information indicating the extent to which the second illumination light L2 emitted from each light-emitting unit 363 reaches the subject's eye E. Alternatively, the storage device stores a predetermined angle from among the rotation angles as threshold information for turning on or off the light-emitting unit 363. The control device 40 can control the light-emitting unit 363 to be turned on when the entire light-emitting unit 363 is not blocked by the illumination system 32 as viewed from the subject's eye E, or when only a part of the light-emitting unit 363 (e.g., 80% or half of the entire light-emitting unit 363) is not blocked by the illumination system 32 as viewed from the subject's eye E, as shown in the ophthalmic apparatus 10A-1 in FIG. 4, for example.

[0062] Furthermore, which of the infrared light source 363a and the visible light source 363b of the light emitting unit 363 is to be turned on may be set manually by a user's operation, or may be set automatically by the control device 40.

[0063] In step S28, the control device 40 adjusts the intensity of the light-emitting unit 363 (light source) for background illumination that has been turned on. As described above, a plurality of light-emitting units 363 are provided in the movable direction of the illumination system 32 as viewed from the subject's eye E. The control device 40 has a dimming control function for adjusting the intensity of the light-emitting unit 363 so as to suppress changes in the light intensity of the second illumination light L2 reaching the subject's eye E from the light-emitting unit 363 regardless of the position of the illumination system 32. Specifically, the control device 40 controls the output of the light-emitting unit 363 so that the light intensity is approximately the same when one of the light-emitting units 363 that is not blocked by the illumination system 32 when emitting the second illumination light L2 (the right light-emitting unit 363 in FIG. 4) is turned on as in the ophthalmic apparatus 10A-2 in FIG. 4, and when both of the light-emitting units 363 that are not blocked by the illumination system 32 when emitting the second illumination light L2 are turned on as in the ophthalmic apparatus 10A-1. That is, the control device 40 performs control to reduce the output of the second illumination light L2 when many light-emitting elements 363 are turned on, and to increase the output of the second illumination light L2 when few light-emitting elements 363 are turned on. In this way, the control device 40 controls the light intensity of the second illumination light L2 according to the number of light sources of the second illumination light L2 that can reach the subject's eye E, thereby making it possible to suppress changes in brightness around the observation area, etc., regardless of the position of the illumination system 32, when the examiner is making an observation or when imaging in step S29 is performed.

[0064] In the present embodiment as well, when observing the subject's eye E, the illumination system 32 mainly irradiates the subject's eye E with the first illumination light L1 from a position deviated (away) from the observation axis LA connecting the subject's eye E and the objective lens 50, which is the light-receiving unit of the observation system 34, in a direction tilted with respect to the observation axis LA. Therefore, as shown in the ophthalmic apparatus 10A-2 in Fig. 4, when the illumination system 32 moves left (or right) from the observation axis LA and the second illumination light L2 emitted from some of the light-emitting units 363 is blocked, some of the light-emitting units 363 that cannot irradiate the subject's eye E with the second illumination light L2 are turned off. This makes it possible to reduce unnecessary power consumption of the ophthalmic apparatus 10.

[0065] As described above, the ophthalmic apparatus 10D of embodiment 2 is configured to control the light-emitting unit 363 so as to suppress changes in the light intensity of the second illumination light L2 reaching the test eye E from the light-emitting unit 363 regardless of the position of the illumination system 32. Therefore, when observing the test eye E, it is possible to more accurately observe the test eye E using background illumination with simple operations while suppressing the occurrence of shadows on the eyelids.

[0066] (Modification 1 of Embodiment 2) The ophthalmic apparatus 10D may be an ophthalmic apparatus 10E equipped with a magnetic encoder 62 instead of the optical encoder 61. The magnetic encoder 62 includes, for example, a magnetic sensor 621 (e.g., a Hall element) fixed to the rotation shaft 30 and a magnetic drum 622, which is a permanent magnet annularly arranged around the rotation shaft 26, and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the rotation angle of the rotation shaft 30 relative to the rotation shaft 26. The control device 40 can determine the rotation angle (relative position) of the illumination system 32 with respect to the observation system 34 based on the detection signal obtained from the magnetic encoder 62. The ophthalmic apparatus 10E can operate according to the flowchart of FIG. 10, similar to the ophthalmic apparatus 10D.

[0067] Furthermore, the ophthalmologic apparatus 10 may use other encoders such as a mechanical encoder (potentiometer) or an electromagnetic induction encoder in addition to the optical encoder 61 and the magnetic encoder 62 as a device for detecting the angle of the illumination system 32 relative to the observation system 34.

[0068] (Modifications 2 and 3 of Embodiment 2) Next, Modifications 2 and 3 of Embodiment 2 will be described. Fig. 11 is a front view illustrating an ophthalmic apparatus 10F (10) of Modification 2 and an ophthalmic apparatus 10G (10) of Modification 3 in Embodiment 2. In the description of the ophthalmic apparatus 10F and the ophthalmic apparatus 10G, the same components as those in the ophthalmic apparatus 10A will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

[0069] The illumination device 36F of the ophthalmic apparatus 10F includes a camera unit 63 located approximately in the center of the illumination main body 361 in the left-right direction Dx. In the ophthalmic apparatus 10G, the camera unit 63 captures an image of the illumination system 32 side, and the control device 40 can detect the position of the illumination system 32 from the acquired image. The illumination device 36G has correspondence information stored in advance in a storage device that associates the rotation angles of the illumination system 32 and the observation system 34 with light blocking information indicating how much of the second illumination light L2 emitted from each light-emitting unit 363 reaches the subject's eye E. Alternatively, the storage device stores a predetermined angle from among the rotation angles as threshold information for turning on or off the light-emitting unit 363.

[0070] The control device 40 of the ophthalmic apparatus 10F can determine the rotation angle (relative position) of the illumination system 32 with respect to the observation system 34 based on the image data acquired by the camera unit 63. Furthermore, the ophthalmic apparatus 10F can operate according to the flowchart of Fig. 10, similar to the ophthalmic apparatus 10D.

[0071] The illumination device 36G of the ophthalmic apparatus 10G includes a TOF (Time of Flight) sensor 64 located approximately at the center of the illumination main body 361 in the left-right direction Dx. The ophthalmic apparatus 10G can detect the presence or absence of the illumination system 32 using the TOF sensor 64. Note that the illumination device 36G may also have correspondence information stored in advance in a storage device that associates the rotation angles of the illumination system 32 and the observation system 34 with light blocking information indicating the extent to which the second illumination light L2 emitted from each light-emitting unit 363 reaches the subject's eye E, or may store a predetermined angle among the rotation angles as threshold information for turning on or off the light-emitting unit 363.

[0072] The control device 40 of the ophthalmic apparatus 10G can determine the rotation angle (relative position) of the illumination system 32 with respect to the observation system 34, based on data relating to the position information of the illumination system 32 acquired from the TOF sensor 64. Furthermore, the ophthalmic apparatus 10G can operate according to the flowchart of Fig. 10, similar to the ophthalmic apparatus 10D.

[0073] (Embodiment 3) Next, a description will be given of embodiment 3. Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the illumination system 32 and the observation system 34 of the ophthalmic apparatus 10H(10) of this embodiment, as viewed from the side of the subject's eye E. In the description of the ophthalmic apparatus 10H, the same components as those of the ophthalmic apparatus 10A will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

[0074] The ophthalmic apparatus 10H includes an illumination device 36H instead of the illumination device 36A in the ophthalmic apparatus 10A. In the illumination device 36H, the lateral width of the illumination main body 361 is shorter than that of the illumination device 36A, and the arm portions 362 are arranged at a narrower interval. In the ophthalmic apparatus 10H using slit light, when observing the subject's eye E, the illumination system 32 is mainly located at a position deviated from (away from) the observation axis LA connecting the subject's eye E and the objective lens 50, which is the light receiving unit of the observation system 34, and irradiates the subject's eye E with first illumination light L1 from a direction tilted with respect to the observation axis LA. 12, even if the light-emitting unit 363 is arranged such that a portion (or all) of the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 363 is blocked when the illumination system 32 is positioned substantially on the observation axis LA, the illumination device 36H can detect the position of the illumination system 32 at which the second illumination light L2 is blocked by the illumination system 32, thereby controlling the dimming of the light-emitting unit 363 according to the relative positions of the illumination system 32 and the light-emitting unit 363, thereby preventing the second illumination light L2 from being blocked during observation of the subject's eye E. Therefore, as in the first or second embodiment, during observation of the subject's eye E, it is possible to more accurately observe the subject's eye E using background illumination while suppressing the occurrence of shadows on the eyelid. Furthermore, the ophthalmic apparatus 10H can be configured to be compact overall because the illumination device 36H is formed to have a short width.

[0075] The ophthalmologic apparatus 10H can also perform the processes and operations of the flowchart in Fig. 10. This allows for more accurate observation of the subject's eye E using background illumination with fewer steps while suppressing the occurrence of shadows on the eyelids during observation of the subject's eye E, and further allows for miniaturization of the area surrounding the illumination device 36H.

[0076] Moreover, the ophthalmologic apparatus 10H may perform the processes and operations of the flowchart in Fig. 7. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the illumination device 36H while suppressing the occurrence of shadows on the eyelids when observing the subject's eye E.

[0077] (Modification 1 of Embodiment 3) Next, a first modification of the third embodiment will be described. Fig. 13 is a front view illustrating an ophthalmic apparatus 10I (10) according to the first modification of the third embodiment. The ophthalmic apparatus 10I includes an illumination device 36I instead of the illumination device 36A in the ophthalmic apparatus 10A. In the description of the ophthalmic apparatus 10I, the same components as those in the ophthalmic apparatus 10A will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

[0078] The illumination device 36I of the ophthalmologic apparatus 10I includes a plurality of light-emitting units 363 arranged in the approximate center of an illumination main body 361 in the left-right direction Dx.

[0079] Furthermore, the determination of the rotation angle of the illumination system 32 in the ophthalmologic apparatus 10I can be performed by the control device 40 using any configuration, such as the above-mentioned encoder (e.g., the optical encoder 61, the magnetic encoder 62, etc.), the camera unit 63, and the TOF sensor 64. When observing the subject's eye E, the illumination system 32I is mainly located at a position deviated from (away from) the observation axis LA connecting the subject's eye E and the objective lens 50, which is the light-receiving unit of the observation system 34, and irradiates the subject's eye E with the first illumination light L1 from a direction inclined with respect to the observation axis LA. Therefore, even when the light-emitting units 363 are arranged at an interval such that the second illumination light L2 emitted from the left and right light-emitting units 363 arranged in the center of the illumination main body 361 is partially or completely blocked, the illumination device 36I has almost no effect on the observation accuracy of the subject's eye E, and as in the first or second embodiment, when observing the subject's eye E, the occurrence of shadows on the eyelids can be suppressed and the subject's eye E can be observed more accurately by background illumination.

[0080] The ophthalmologic apparatus 10I can also perform the processing and operations of the flowchart in Fig. 10. This allows for more accurate observation of the subject's eye E using background illumination with fewer steps while suppressing the occurrence of shadows on the eyelids during observation of the subject's eye E, and further allows for miniaturization of the area surrounding the illumination device 36I.

[0081] Moreover, the ophthalmologic apparatus 10I may perform the processes and operations of the flowchart in Fig. 7. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the illumination device 36I while suppressing the occurrence of shadows on the eyelids when observing the subject's eye E.

[0082] (Embodiment 4) Next, a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIGS. 14 and 15 are front views of an ophthalmic apparatus 10J (10J-1, 10J-2, 10J-3) according to the fourth embodiment. In the description of the ophthalmic apparatus 10J, the same components as those in the ophthalmic apparatus 10A will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified. The ophthalmic apparatus 10J has the same configuration as the ophthalmic apparatus 10A, but includes an illumination device 36J instead of the illumination device 36A. The illumination device 36J includes a light-emitting unit 363J configured to be movable in the left-right direction Dx, which is the movable direction of the illumination system 32 as viewed from the subject's eye E side. The light-emitting unit 363J is provided on the front side (the subject's eye E side) of the illumination main body 361. The light-emitting unit 363J can be configured to be movable in the left-right direction Dx, for example, by being disposed in a power transmission mechanism using a rack gear and a pinion gear, but any other power transmission mechanism can be used.

[0083] The ophthalmic apparatus 10J has an avoidance operation function of moving the light-emitting unit 363 according to the position of the illumination system 32 to prevent the second illumination light L2 emitted from the light-emitting unit 363 from being blocked by the illumination system 32. The avoidance operation function is performed under the control of the control device 40. Specifically, as shown in the ophthalmic apparatus 10J-1, when the illumination system 32 is located approximately at the center in the left-right direction Dx of the ophthalmic apparatus 10J, the control device 40 positions (moves) the light-emitting unit 363J to the right or left side of the illumination system 32 (indicated by a dashed line).

[0084] Furthermore, as shown in the ophthalmic apparatus 10J-2, when the illumination system 32 is located outside and away from the center in the left-right direction Dx of the ophthalmic apparatus 10J (for example, when one light-emitting unit 363J of the illumination device 36J is located), the control device 40 can move the light-emitting unit 363J from a position on the right (or left) side in the left-right direction Dx of the ophthalmic apparatus 10J-2 to the inside, thereby preventing the second illumination light L2 from being blocked by the illumination system 32. Note that the light-emitting unit 363J may be moved left when the illumination system 32 moves right as viewed from the side of the examined eye E, or may be moved right when the illumination system 32 moves left.

[0085] Furthermore, as shown in the ophthalmic device 10J-3, when the illumination system 32 is located outside and away from the center in the left-right direction Dx of the ophthalmic device 10J, the control device 40 may move the light-emitting unit 363J to an approximately central position in the left-right direction Dx of the ophthalmic device 10J-3 to avoid the second illumination light L2 being blocked by the illumination system 32.

[0086] The ophthalmic apparatus 10J according to the fourth embodiment has a movable light-emitting unit 363J, which makes it possible to accurately observe the subject's eye E while avoiding the occurrence of shadows on the eyelids and the blocking of the second illumination light L2 as background illumination by the illumination system 32. Furthermore, the ophthalmic apparatus 10J can provide an ophthalmic apparatus 10J (slit lamp microscope) that prevents the occurrence of flare and enables accurate observation of the subject's eye E.

[0087] The ophthalmic apparatus 10J may have a plurality of light-emitting units 363J on the left and right of the illumination main body unit 361 of the illumination device 36J. In this case, when the illumination system 32 is located outside and away from the center in the left-right direction Dx of the ophthalmic apparatus 10J, all of the light-emitting units 363J may be moved to be located in the center as viewed from the examinee's eye E side, or may be controlled so that when the illumination system 32 moves to the right as viewed from the examinee's eye E side, both of the light-emitting units 363J are moved to the left, or when the illumination system 32 moves to the left, both of the light-emitting units 363J are moved to the right.

[0088] Furthermore, although not shown, the control device 40 may move one or both of the light-emitting units 363J provided on the left and right sides of the illumination main body 361 in the same direction as the movement direction of the illumination system 32, to prevent the second illumination light L2 from being blocked by the illumination system 32. The control device 40 may move the light-emitting unit 363J to the right or left while positioning it on both the left and right sides of the illumination system 32 when viewed from the examinee's eye E side.

[0089] The configuration in which the light-emitting unit 363J is movable may be applied to the configurations of the other ophthalmologic apparatuses 10A to 10I.

[0090] Furthermore, although an example has been described in which the infrared light source 363a and the visible light source 363b included in the light-emitting unit 363J are moved simultaneously, they may be moved individually.

[0091] The above has described an ophthalmic apparatus 10 and a light source control method for the ophthalmic apparatus 10, which include an illumination system 32 that is rotatably supported around the subject's eye E while directing the irradiation direction of the first illumination light L1 toward the subject's eye E, an observation system 34 that is provided on the opposite side of the illumination system 32 from the position where the subject's eye E is disposed, and a light-emitting unit 363 for background illumination that is provided in the observation system 34 at a position below the subject's eye E, and in which the light-emitting unit 363 is dimmed according to the relative positions of the illumination system 32 and the light-emitting unit 363. As a result, it is possible to provide an ophthalmic apparatus 10 that enables more accurate observation of the subject's eye E using background illumination.

[0092] Furthermore, the present invention has been described with respect to a configuration in which the ophthalmic apparatus 10 includes an illumination system 32 that is rotatably supported around the subject's eye E while directing the irradiation direction of the first illumination light L1 toward the subject's eye E, and an observation system 34 that has a camera device 56 and is provided on the opposite side of the illumination system 32 from the position of the subject's eye E, and the camera device 56 includes an imaging unit 561 that receives and images the first illumination light L1 reflected by the subject's eye E, and a light-emitting unit 363 for background illumination that is provided in the observation system 34 at a position below the subject's eye E. Therefore, it is possible to provide an ophthalmic apparatus 10 and a camera device 56 that have a function of background illumination and an imaging function for the subject's eye E with a simple configuration.

[0093] The ophthalmic apparatus 10 described above includes an illumination system 32 that is rotatably supported around the subject's eye E while directing the irradiation direction of the first illumination light L1 toward the subject's eye E, an observation system 34 that is provided on the opposite side of the illumination system 32 from the position where the subject's eye E is positioned, and a light-emitting unit 363 for background illumination that is provided in the observation system 34 at a position below the subject's eye E, with multiple light-emitting units 363 provided in the movable direction of the illumination system 32 as seen from the subject's eye E. This makes it possible to configure an ophthalmic apparatus 10 that can more accurately observe the subject's eye E by preventing the illumination system 32 from blocking the second illumination light L2 for background illumination, and by suppressing the occurrence of shadows on the eyelids.

[0094] The present invention also describes an ophthalmic apparatus 10 including an illumination system 32 rotatably supported around the subject's eye E while directing the irradiation direction of the first illumination light L1 toward the subject's eye E, an observation system 34 provided on the opposite side of the illumination system 32 from the position of the subject's eye E, and a light-emitting unit 363 for background illumination provided in the observation system 34 at a position below the subject's eye E, the ophthalmic apparatus 10 having an avoidance operation function that moves the light-emitting unit 363 according to the position of the illumination system 32 to prevent the second illumination light L2 emitted from the light-emitting unit 363 from being blocked by the illumination system 32. In this way, it is possible to configure an ophthalmic apparatus 10 and an illumination control method for the ophthalmic apparatus 10 that prevent the second illumination light L2 of background illumination from being blocked by the illumination system 32, while suppressing the occurrence of shadows on the eyelids, thereby enabling more accurate observation of the subject's eye E.

[0095] This concludes the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, but the aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to the configurations shown in the respective embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 10(10A~10J) Ophthalmology equipment 10A-1,10A-2 Ophthalmic equipment 10J-1~10J-3 Ophthalmology equipment 12 base 14 Face support 14a Post 14b Chin rest 14c amount 16 Electric drive unit 18 Movable Table 20 Operating lever 20a switch 22 first support member 24 Microscope support arm 24a Horizontal arm 24b Vertical arm section 26 Rotating shaft 28 Second support member 30 Rotating Axis 32(32A,32C) Lighting system 32C1 Post 32I Lighting system 34(34A, 34B) Observation system 36(36A,36B,36F~36J) Lighting device 38 Light source operation section 40 Control device 44 Slit lamp 46 Deflection optical system 46C illumination optical system 48,48C Deflection part 50 objective lenses 52 Eyepiece 56 Camera equipment 56a Inserted part 61 Optical Encoder 62 Magnetic Encoder 63 Camera Department 64 TOF sensors 361 Lighting body 362 Arm 362a Insertion part 363,363J Light-emitting part 363a infrared light source 363b visible light source 381 Slit lamp light source operation part 382 Infrared light source operation section 383 Visible light source operation section 561 Imaging unit 562 Power supply circuit 563 Control Circuit 611 Optical Sensor 612 Slit Disk 621 Magnetic Sensor 622 Magnetic Drum Dx Left / right direction Dy Anteroposterior direction Dz Vertical direction E. Examined eye L1 First illumination light L2 Second illumination light L3 tangent LA observation axis O Origin θ Shading angle

Claims

1. an illumination system supported rotatably around the subject's eye while directing the irradiation direction of the first illumination light toward the subject's eye; an observation system provided on the opposite side of the illumination system from the position where the eye to be examined is disposed; a light-emitting unit for background illumination provided in the observation system at a position below the subject's eye; Equipped with an ophthalmic apparatus having an avoidance operation function that moves the light-emitting unit according to the position of the illumination system to avoid the second illumination light emitted from the light-emitting unit being blocked by the illumination system.

2. a plurality of light-emitting units are provided in a movable direction of the illumination system as seen from the subject's eye side; the avoidance operation function has a function of moving the light-emitting unit along an arrangement direction of the light-emitting unit, The ophthalmic device according to claim 1 .

3. The ophthalmologic apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the avoidance operation function has a function of moving all of the light-emitting units so that they are positioned at a center when viewed from the eye to be examined.

4. The ophthalmic device according to claim 3, wherein the avoidance operation function has a function of moving one or both of the left and right light-emitting units in the same direction as the movement direction of the illumination system while positioning the light-emitting units on both the left and right sides of the illumination system when viewed from the subject's eye.

5. an ophthalmologic apparatus including: an illumination system that is rotatably supported around the subject's eye while directing an irradiation direction of first illumination light toward the subject's eye; an observation system that is provided on an opposite side of the illumination system from a position where the subject's eye is disposed; and a light-emitting unit for background illumination that is provided in the observation system at a position below the subject's eye, An illumination control method that moves the light-emitting unit according to the position of the illumination system, thereby preventing the second illumination light emitted from the light-emitting unit from being blocked by the illumination system.

Images