Ophthalmic instrument

• US 5,936,706 A
• Filed: 08/20/1998
• Issued: 08/10/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Inventors: Takagi, Akinari
• Primary Examiner(s): Manuel, George
• Application Number:
  US09/137,149
• Time in Patent Office: 355 Days
• Field of Search: 351/204, 351/205, 351/208, 351/211, 351/212, 351/221, 351/246
• US Class Current: 351/208
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/152 for aligning

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an ophthalmic instrument equipped with an optical alignment system. The optical alignment system has a Z-alignment index projection light system (60) which projects index light onto the cornea (C) of a subject eye (E) and a sensor (73) which receives reflected light of the index light reflected at the cornea (C). The ophthalmic instrument is further equipped with a Z-alignment detection circuit (74) which computes a positional relation between an index image formed on a light receiving surface of the sensor (73) and the cornea (C). When the result of computation by the detection circuit (74) is within a predetermined range, the subject eye is measured. The Z-alignment index projection light system (60) is provided with an aperture diaphragm (63) which has a transmittance distribution characteristic in which a quantity of light is gradually reduced from the optical axis of the system (60) in a radial direction.

Claims

1. An ophthalmic instrument comprising:

measurement means for measuring a subject eye;

an optical alignment system having index projection means which projects index light onto a cornea of said subject eye and light receiving means which receives reflected light of said index light reflected at said cornea; and

arithmetic means for computing a positional relation between a body of said ophthalmic instrument and said cornea, based on a position of an index image formed on a light receiving surface of said light receiving means;

wherein said optical alignment system is provided with light quantity reducing means which has a transmittance distribution characteristic in which a quantity of light is gradually reduced from an optical axis in a radial direction.

2. The ophthalmic instrument as set forth in claim 1, wherein said light quantity reducing means is provided in an optical path of said index projection means.

3. The ophthalmic instrument as set forth in claim 1, wherein said light quantity reducing means is provided in an optical path of said light receiving means.

4. The ophthalmic instrument as set forth in any one of claims 1 through 3, wherein said light quantity reducing means is a filter whose transmittance is reduced from an optical axis in a radial direction.

5. The ophthalmic instrument as set forth in claim 4, wherein said filter is provided in an aperture diaphragm of said optical alignment system.

6. The ophthalmic instrument as set forth in claim 5, wherein said aperture diaphragm and said light receiving means are in a conjugate relation.