Fundus observation device, fundus image display device and fundus observation program

• US 7,566,128 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2006
• Issued: 07/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Inventors: Aoki, Hiroyuki, Tsukada, Hisashi, Fukuma, Yasufumi, Kikawa, Tsutomu, Harumoto, Koki
• Primary Examiner(s): Sugarman; Scott J
• Assistant Examiner(s): PINKNEY, DAWAYNE
• Application Number:
  US11/521,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20070070295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 351205-206, 351/221, 354/62
• US Class Current: 351/205
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/102 for optical coherence tomography [OCT]

Abstract

To provide a technology that makes it easy to capture a positional relation of a 2-dimensional image of the surface of a fundus oculi and a tomographic image of the fundus oculi. The fundus observation device 1 is provided with a fundus camera unit 1A for forming a 2-dimensional image of the surface of a fundus oculi Ef of an eye to be examined, an OCT unit 150 for forming a tomographic image of the fundus oculi Ef, a scanning unit 141 as well as an image processing part 220, a display 207, and a controlling part 210 of a computer 200 for displaying the 2-dimensional image formed by the fundus camera unit 1A and a tomographic image formed by the OCT unit, etc. in parallel on the display 207, and also for displaying the cross-sectional position information (attention line L, attention region P) indicating the cross-sectional position of the tomographic image on the surface of the fundus oculi Ef, so as to be overlapped with the 2-dimensional image.

Claims

1. A fundus observation device comprising:

a first image forming part configured to form a 2-dimensional image of the surface of a fundus oculi of an eye to be examined;

a second image forming part configured to form a tomographic image of said fundus oculi;

a display part having a first display region and a second display region;

a controller configured to cause said display part to display said 2-dimensional image formed by said first image forming part on the first display region, to display said tomographic image formed by said second image forming part on the second display region, and also to display the cross-sectional position information indicating the cross-sectional position of said tomographic image displayed on the second display region, so as to be overlapped with said 2-dimensional image on said first display region; and

an operating means,

wherein when one point on said 2-dimensional image displayed on said first display region is designated by said operating means, said controller causes said display part to display the designated positional information indicating a position in the tomographic image corresponding to a position inside the eye to be examined indicated by the designated one point, so as to be overlapped with said tomographic image on the second display region.

2. The fundus observation device according to claim 1, wherein said controller,

when said one point is designated by said operating means on an image displayed on said display part, is configured to cause said display part to display the coordinate value of said one point in a coordinate system predefined with respect to the image on said display part, and

to change the position of said designated positional information to be displayed, in response to the change in the displayed coordinate value made by said operating means.

36. The fundus observation device according to claim 1, wherein:

said optical image measuring device further has a scanner configured to scan the incident position of said signal light with respect to said fundus oculi in a given main scanning direction and in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction respectively;

said second image processing part

respectively forms tomographic images along said main scanning direction at a plurality of positions that are different in said sub-scanning direction and forms a 3-dimensional image of said fundus oculi based on the plurality of formed tomographic images; and

also

forms a tomographic image of a cross section including a point designed by the operating means, on the two-dimensional image displayed by the display part, based on the three-dimensional image; and

said controller is configured to cause said display part

to display said 2-dimensional image on the first display region and said 3-dimensional image on the second display region, and also

to display the designed positional information to overlap with the tomographic image on the second display region.

3. A fundus observation device comprising:

a first image forming part configured to form a 2-dimensional image of the surface of a fundus oculi of an eye to be examined;

a second image forming part configured to form a tomographic image of said fundus oculi;

a display part having a first display region and a second display region;

a controller configured to cause said display part to display said 2-dimensional image formed by said first image forming part on the first display region, to display said tomographic image formed by said second image forming part on the second display region, and also to display the cross-sectional position information indicating the cross-sectional position of said tomographic image displayed on the second display region, so as to be overlapped with said 2-dimensional image on said first display region; and

an operating means,

wherein when one point on said tomographic image displayed on the second display region is designated by said operating means, said controller is configured to cause said display part to display the designated positional information indicating a position in the two-dimensional image corresponding to a position inside the eye to be examined indicated by the designated one point, so as to be overlapped with said 2-dimensional image on the first display region.

4. The fundus observation device according to claim 3, wherein said controller,

when said one point is designated by said operating means on an image displayed on said display part, is configured to cause said display part to display, the coordinate value of said one point in a coordinate system predefined with respect to the image, and

changes the position of said designated positional information to be displayed on said display part, in response to the change in the displayed coordinate value made by said operating means.

5. A fundus observation device comprising:

a first image forming part configured to form a 2-dimensional image of the surface of a fundus oculi of an eye to be examined;

a second image forming part configured to form a tomographic image of said fundus oculi;

a display part having a first display region and a second display region;

a controller configured to cause said display part to display said 2-dimensional image formed by said first image forming part on the first display region, to display said tomographic image formed by said second image forming part on the second display region, and also to display the cross-sectional position information indicating the cross-sectional position of said tomographic image displayed on the second display region, so as to be overlapped with said 2-dimensional image on said first display region,

wherein said second image forming part is an optical image measuring device comprising;

a light source;

an interference light generating means for splitting the light output from the light source into signal light directed towards said fundus oculi and reference light directed towards a reference object, and also for generating interference light by overlaying the signal light reflected at said fundus oculi and the reference light reflected at said reference object;

a detecting means for outputting a detection signal upon receipt of said generated interference light; and

a second image processing part configured to form a tomographic image of said fundus oculi, based on said detection signal that has been output, and

wherein;

said optical image measuring device further has a scanning means for scanning the incident position of said signal light with respect to said fundus oculi in a given main scanning direction and in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction respectively;

said second image processing part;

respectively forms a tomographic image along said main scanning direction at a plurality of positions that are different in said sub-scanning direction and forms a 3-dimensional image of said fundus oculi based on the plurality of formed tomographic images; and

also

forms an image of a partial region of the 3-dimensional image and a tomographic image at a boundary of the partial region, and forms a 3-dimensional partial image corresponding to said partial region based on the formed image of said partial region and the tomographic image of said boundary; and

said controller;

displays the formed 3-dimensional partial image parallel to said 2-dimensional image on said display part, and also

displays the cross-sectional position information indicating said boundary, so as to be overlapped with said 2-dimensional image.

6. The fundus observation device according to claim 5, wherein the fundus observation device further comprises an operating means for designating said partial region of said 3-dimensional image.

7. The fundus observation device according to claim 6, wherein:

said second image processing device, when one point on said 3-dimensional partial image displayed on said display part is designated by said operating means, forms a 2-dimensional image perpendicular to said depth direction at the depth in the depth direction at the designated one point of said fundus oculi;

said controller, and

displays the 2-dimensional image formed at the depth of said one point parallel to said 3-dimensional partial image, and also

displays the designated positional information indicating a position corresponding to said one point, so as to be overlapped with the 2-dimensional image at the depth of said one point.

8. The fundus observation device according to claim 7, wherein

said controller,

when said one point is designated by said operating means on an image displayed on said display part, displays the coordinate value of said one point in a coordinate system predefined with respect to the image on said display part, and

changes the position of said designated positional information to be displayed on said display part, in response to the change in the displayed coordinate value made by said operating means.

9. The fundus observation device according to claim 7, further comprising a storing means,

wherein said controller, when said one point is designated by said operating means on the image displayed on said display part, stores the coordinate value of said one point in a coordinate system predefined with respect to the image in said storing means so as to be read-out.

10. The fundus observation device according to claim 6, wherein:

said second image processing means forms a 2-dimensional image perpendicular to said depth direction at a given depth in the depth direction of said fundus oculi based on said 3-dimensional image;

said controller displays the formed 2-dimensional image at the given depth on said display part;

said second image processing part, when one point on the displayed 2-dimensional image at said given depth is designated by said operating part, forms a 3-dimensional partial image including the designated said one point based on said 3-dimensional image; and

said controller

displays the formed 3-dimensional partial image including said one point parallel to the 2-dimensional image at said given depth on said display part, and also

displays the designated positional information indicating a position corresponding to said one point, so as to be overlapped with the 3-dimensional partial image including said one point.

11. The fundus observation device according to claim 10, wherein

said controller,

when said one point is designated by said operating means on an image displayed on said display part, displays the coordinate value of said one point in a coordinate system predefined with respect to the image on said display part, and

changes the position of said designated positional information to be displayed on said display part, in response to the change in the displayed coordinate value made by said operating means.

12. The fundus observation device according to claim 10, further comprising a storing means,

wherein said controller, when said one point is designated by said operating means on the image displayed on said display part, stores the coordinate value of said one point in a coordinate system predefined with respect to the image in said storing means so as to be read-out.

13. The fundus observation device according to claim 6, wherein,

said second image processing part of said optical image measuring device, when a cross-sectional position is designated by said operating means on said 2-dimensional image displayed on said display part, forms a tomographic image at the designated cross-sectional position based on said 3-dimensional partial image, and

said controller

displays the formed tomographic image parallel to said 2-dimensional image on said display part, and also

displays the cross-sectional position information indicating the designated cross-sectional position, so as to be overlapped with said 2-dimensional image.

14. The fundus observation device according to claim 6, wherein said controller, when one point on said 2-dimensional image displayed on said display part is designated by said operating means, displays the designated positional information indicating a position corresponding to the designated one point, so as to be overlapped with said 3-dimensional image.

15. The fundus observation device according to claim 6, wherein said controller, when one point on said 3-dimensional image displayed on said display part is designated by said operating means, displays the designated positional information indicating a position corresponding to the designated one point, so as to be overlapped with said 2-dimensional image.

16. A fundus observation device comprising:

a first image forming part configured to form a 2-dimensional image of the surface of a fundus oculi of an eye to be examined;

a second image forming part configured to form a tomographic image of said fundus oculi;

a display part having a first display region and a second display region;

a controller configured to cause said display part to display said 2-dimensional image formed by said first image forming part on the first display region, to display said tomographic image formed by said second image forming part on the second display region, and also to display the cross-sectional position information indicating the cross-sectional position of said tomographic image displayed on the second display region, so as to be overlapped with said 2-dimensional image on said first display region,

wherein,

said first image forming part is a fundus camera comprising;

an illuminating optical system for emitting illumination light onto said fundus oculi;

a photographing optical system for receiving the fundus reflection light of said emitted illumination light; and

a first image processing part configured to form a 2-dimensional image of the surface of said fundus oculi based on said received fundus reflection light, and

said second image forming part is an optical image measuring device comprising;

a light source;

an interference light generating means for splitting the light output from the light source into signal light directed towards said fundus oculi through a part of the optical path of the photographing optical system of said fundus camera and into reference light directed towards a reference object, and also for generating interference light by overlaying the signal light reflected at said fundus oculi and guided through a part of said optical oath and the reference light reflected at said reference object;

a detecting means for outputting a detection signal upon receipt of said generated interference light; and

a second image processing part configured to form a tomographic image of said fundus oculi, based on said detection signal that has been output,

said fundus observation device further comprising an operating means, wherein;

said optical image measuring device further has a scanning means for scanning the incident position of said signal light with respect to said fundus oculi in a given main scanning direction and in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction respectively;

said second image processing device

respectively forms a tomographic image along said main scanning direction at a plurality of positions that are different in said sub-scanning direction and forms a 3-dimensional image of said fundus oculi based on the plurality of tomographic images that have been formed, and also

when a cross-sectional position is designated by said operating means on said 2-dimensional image displayed on said display part, forms a tomographic image at the designated cross-sectional position based on said 3-dimensional image; and

said controller

displays the tomographic image at the designated cross-sectional position parallel to said 2-dimensional image, and also

displays the cross-sectional position information indicating the designated cross-sectional position, so as to be overlapped with said 2-dimensional image.

17. The fundus observation device according to claim 16, wherein:

said second image processing part, when one point on said tomographic image displayed on said display part is designated by said operating means, forms a 2-dimensional image perpendicular to said depth direction at a depth in the depth direction at the designated one point of said fundus oculi; and

said controller

displays the 2-dimensional image formed at the depth of said one point parallel to said tomographic image, and also

displays the designated positional information indicating a position corresponding to said one point, so as to be overlapped with the 2-dimensional image at the depth of said one point.

18. The fundus observation device according to claim 17, wherein

said controller,

when said one point is designated by said operating means on an image displayed on said display part, displays the coordinate value of said one point in a coordinate system predefined with respect to the image on said display part, and

changes the position of said designated positional information to be displayed on said display part, in response to the change in the displayed coordinate value made by said operating means.

19. The fundus observation device according to claim 16, wherein:

said second image processing part forms a 2-dimensional image perpendicular to said depth direction at a given depth in the depth direction of said fundus oculi based on said 3-dimensional image;

said controller displays the 2-dimensional image formed at the given depth on said display part;

said second image processing means, when one point on the displayed 2-dimensional image at said given depth is designated by said operating means, forms a tomographic image including the designated said one point based on said 3-dimensional image; and

said controller

displays the formed tomographic image including said one point, parallel to the 2-dimensional image at said given depth on said display part, and also

displays the designated positional information indicating a position corresponding to said one point, so as to be overlapped with the tomographic image including said one point.

20. The fundus observation device according to claim 19, wherein

said controller,

when said one point is designated by said operating means on an image displayed on said display part, displays the coordinate value of said one point in a coordinate system predefined with respect to the image on said display part, and

changes the position of said designated positional information to be displayed on said display part, in response to the change in the displayed coordinate value made by said operating means.

21. The fundus observation device according to claim 16, wherein:

said optical image measuring device further has a scanning means for scanning the incident position of said signal light with respect to said fundus oculi in a given main scanning direction and in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction respectively;

said second image processing device

respectively forms a tomographic image along said main scanning direction at a plurality of positions that are different in said sub-scanning direction and forms a 3-dimensional image of said fundus oculi based on the plurality of formed tomographic images; and

also

forms an image of a partial region of the 3-dimensional image and a tomographic image at a boundary of the partial region, and forms a 3-dimensional partial image corresponding to said partial region based on the formed image of said partial region and the tomographic image of said boundary; and

said controller

displays the formed 3-dimensional partial image parallel to said 2-dimensional image on said display part, and also

displays the cross-sectional position information indicating said boundary, so as to be overlapped with said 2-dimensional image.

22. The fundus observation device according to claim 21, wherein the fundus observation device further comprises an operating means for designating said partial region of said 3-dimensional image.

23. The fundus observation device according to claim 22, wherein:

said second image processing part, when one point on said 3-dimensional partial image displayed on said display part is designated by said operating means, forms a 2-dimensional image perpendicular to said depth direction at the depth in the depth direction at the designated one point of said fundus oculi;

said controller, and

displays the 2-dimensional image formed at the depth of said one point parallel to said 3-dimensional partial image, and also

displays the designated positional information indicating a position corresponding to said one point, so as to be overlapped with the 2-dimensional image at the depth of said one point.

24. The fundus observation device according to claim 23, wherein

said,

when said one point is designated by said operating means on an image displayed on said display part, displays the coordinate value of said one point in a coordinate system predefined with respect to the image on said display part, and

changes the position of said designated positional information to be displayed on said display part, in response to the change in the displayed coordinate value made by said operating means.

25. The fundus observation device according to claim 23, further comprising a storing means,

wherein said controller, when said one point is designated by said operating means on the image displayed on said display part, stores the coordinate value of said one point in a coordinate system predefined with respect to the image in said storing means so as to be read-out.

26. The fundus observation device according to claim 22, wherein:

said second image processing part forms a 2-dimensional image perpendicular to said depth direction at a given depth in the depth direction of said fundus oculi based on said 3-dimensional image;

said controller displays the formed 2-dimensional image at the given depth on said display part;

said second image processing means, when one point on the displayed 2-dimensional image at said given depth is designated by said operating means, forms a 3-dimensional partial image including the designated said one point based on said 3-dimensional image; and

said controller

displays the formed 3-dimensional partial image including said one point parallel to the 2-dimensional image at said given depth on said display part, and also

displays the designated positional information indicating a position corresponding to said one point, so as to be overlapped with the 3-dimensional partial image including said one point.

27. The fundus observation device according to claim 26, wherein

said controller,

when said one point is designated by said operating means on an image displayed on said display part, displays the coordinate value of said one point in a coordinate system predefined with respect to the image on said display part, and

changes the position of said designated positional information to be displayed on said display part, in response to the change in the displayed coordinate value made by said operating means.

28. The fundus observation device according to claim 26, further comprising a storing means,

wherein said controller, when said one point is designated by said operating means on the image displayed on said display part, stores the coordinate value of said one point in a coordinate system predefined with respect to the image in said storing means so as to be read-out.

29. The fundus observation device according to claim 22, wherein,

said second image processing part of said optical image measuring device, when a cross-sectional position is designated by said operating means on said 2-dimensional image displayed on said display part, forms a tomographic image at the designated cross-sectional position based on said 3-dimensional partial image, and

said controller

displays the formed tomographic image parallel to said 2-dimensional image on said display part, and also

displays the cross-sectional position information indicating the designated cross-sectional position, so as to be overlapped with said 2-dimensional image.

30. The fundus observation device according to claim 22, wherein said controller, when one point on said 2-dimensional image displayed on said display part is designated by said operating means, displays the designated positional information indicating a position corresponding to the designated one point, so as to be overlapped with said 3-dimensional image.

31. The fundus observation device according to claim 22, wherein said controller, when one point on said 3-dimensional image displayed on said display part is designated by said operating means, displays the designated positional information indicating a position corresponding to the designated one point, so as to be overlapped with said 2-dimensional image.

32. A fundus image display device connected to a first image forming part configured to form a 2-dimensional image of the surface of a fundus oculi of an eye to be examined and to a second image forming part configured to form a tomographic image of said fundus oculi;

comprising;

a display part;

a control part configured to display said 2-dimensional image formed by said first image forming part parallel to said tomographic image formed by said second image forming part on said display part, and also to display the cross-sectional position information indicating the cross-sectional position of said tomographic image of the surface of said fundus oculi, so as to be overlapped with said 2-dimensional image; and

an operating means,

wherein said controller, when one point on said 2-dimensional image displayed on said display part is designated by said operating means, displays the designated positional information indicating a position corresponding to the designated one point, so as to be overlapped with said tomographic image.

33. The fundus image display device according to claim 32, further comprising:

an operating means,

wherein said controller, when one point on said tomographic image displayed on said display part is designated by said operating means, displays the designated positional information indicating a position corresponding to the designated one point, so as to be overlapped with said 2-dimensional image.

34. A fundus observation program wherein

a computer, which is connected to a first image forming part configured to form a 2-dimensional image of the surface of a fundus oculi of an eye to be examined and to a second image forming part configured to form a tomographic image of said fundus oculi, and which is equipped with a display part,

is made to function as a controller configured to display said 2-dimensional image formed by said first image forming part parallel to said tomographic image formed by said second image forming part on said display part, and also to display the cross-sectional position information indicating the cross-sectional position of said tomographic image of the surface of said fundus oculi, so as to be overlapped with said 2-dimensional image, and

wherein

said computer further comprises an operating means, and

when one point on said 2-dimensional image displayed on said display part is designated by said operating means, said controller is made to function to display the designated positional information indicating a position corresponding to the designated one point, so as to be overlapped with said tomographic image.

35. The fundus observation program according to claim 34, wherein

said computer further comprises an operating means, and

when one point on said tomographic image displayed on said display part is designated by said operating means, said controller is made to function to display the designated positional information indicating a position corresponding to the designated one point, so to be overlapped with said 2-dimensional image.