Ophthalmic apparatus

• US 7,802,886 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2009
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nidek Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nidek Company Limited
• Inventors: Kawai, Noriji
• Primary Examiner(s): DANG, HUNG XUAN
• Application Number:
  US12/457,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20090303439A1
• Time in Patent Office: 481 Days
• Field of Search: 351/211, 351/214, 351/221, 351/212, 351/205, 351/246, 351/200
• US Class Current: 351/211
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0091 Fixation targets for viewing direction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/032 Devices for presenting test symbols or characters, e.g. test chart projectors A61B3/036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/103 for determining refraction, e.g. refractometers, skiascopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/12 for looking at the eye fundus, e.g. ophthalmoscopes A61B3/13 takes precedence

Abstract

An ophthalmic apparatus has an optical system for presenting a target to an examinee'"'"'s eye through a lens, an optical system placed in an optical path of the target presenting optical system, for correcting a refractive error of the eye seeing the target, a switching unit arranged to switch an aperture size of a diaphragm, which is placed in a position substantially conjugate with a pupil with respect to the lens, between a first size corresponding to a pupil size of the eye in photopic vision and a second size larger than the pupil size in scotopic vision, an inputting unit arranged to generate a signal for switching the aperture size between the first and second sizes, and a control unit arranged to control driving of the switching unit based on the signal from the inputting unit to switch the aperture size between the first and second sizes.

Claims

1. An ophthalmic apparatus comprising:

a target presenting optical system for presenting a target to an examinee'"'"'s eye through a lens;

a correction optical system placed in an optical path of the target presenting optical system, for correcting a refractive error of the eye seeing the target;

a diaphragm switching unit arranged to switch an aperture size of a diaphragm, which is placed in a position substantially conjugate with a pupil of the eye with respect to the lens, between a first size corresponding to a pupil size of the eye in photopic vision and a second size larger than the pupil size of the eye in scotopic vision;

a switching signal inputting unit arranged to generate a switching signal for switching the aperture size of the diaphragm between the first size and the second size; and

a diaphragm control unit arranged to control driving of the diaphragm switching unit based on the switching signal from the switching signal inputting unit to switch the aperture size of the diaphragm between the first size and the second size.

2. The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the diaphragm switching unit comprises any one of:

(a) the diaphragm having a variable aperture size, wherein the diaphragm switching unit is arranged to selectively vary the aperture size of the diaphragm between the first size and the second size;

(b) the diaphragm defined by a first diaphragm having an aperture size corresponding to the first size and a second diaphragm having an aperture size corresponding to the second size, wherein the diaphragm switching unit is arranged to selectively place the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm in the optical path; and

(c) the diaphragm having an aperture size corresponding to the first size, wherein the diaphragm switching unit is arranged to insert and remove the diaphragm into and from the optical path, and an aperture size on the optical path when the diaphragm is removed from the optical path defines the second size.

3. The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the diaphragm switching unit comprises:

the diaphragm defined by a variable aperture diaphragm comprised of a display arranged to form a transmitting region and a shielding region for light of the target, wherein the diaphragm switching unit is arranged to selectively vary a size of the transmitting region between the first size and the second size.

4. The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target presenting optical system comprises:

a light source which illuminates the target, wherein a luminance of the target illuminated by the light source is equivalent to a dusk brightness.

5. The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target presenting optical system comprises:

a light source which illuminates the target, and the apparatus further comprises;

an intensity adjusting unit arranged to adjust intensity of light from the light source based on the aperture size of the diaphragm switched by the diaphragm switching unit so as to maintain intensity of light of the target passing through an aperture of the diaphragm having each of the first size and the second size constant.

6. The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target presenting optical system comprises:

a light source which illuminates the target, and the apparatus further comprises;

an image-pickup optical system comprising an image-pickup element which picks up an image of an anterior segment of the eye including the pupil in a state that a luminance of the target illuminated by the light source is equivalent to a dusk brightness;

a pupil size obtaining unit arranged to obtain a size of the pupil by processing the anterior-segment image picked up by the image-pickup element; and

an intensity adjusting unit arranged to adjust intensity of light from the light source based on the first size and the pupil size obtained by the pupil size obtaining unit so as to maintain intensity of light of the target passing through an aperture of the diaphragm having each of the first size and the pupil size constant.

7. The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an eye refractive power measurement unit which comprises an eye refractive power measurement optical system for projecting light of a measurement target onto a fundus of the eye and photo-receiving the light reflected from the fundus by a photodetector, and is arranged to obtain eye refractive power of the eye based on output from the photodetector; and

a correction optical system control unit arranged to control driving of the correction optical system based on the eye refractive power obtained by the eye refractive power measurement unit.

8. An ophthalmic apparatus comprising:

an eye refractive power measurement unit which comprises an eye refractive power measurement optical system for projecting light of a measurement target onto a fundus of an examinee'"'"'s eye and photo-receiving the light reflected from the fundus by a photodetector, and is arranged to obtain eye refractive power of the eye based on output from the photodetector;

a target presenting optical system for presenting a target to the eye through a lens;

a correction optical system placed in an optical path of the target presenting optical system, for correcting a refractive error of the eye seeing the target;

a diaphragm switching unit arranged to switch an aperture size of a diaphragm, which is placed in a position substantially conjugate with a pupil of the eye with respect to the lens, between a first size corresponding to a pupil size of the eye in photopic vision and a second size larger than the pupil size of the eye in scotopic vision;

a switching signal inputting unit arranged to generate a switching signal for switching the aperture size of the diaphragm between the first size and the second size;

a mode setting unit arranged to input a setting signal for establishing a checking mode for checking visibilities in the scotopic vision and the photopic vision after measuring the eye refractive power;

a correction optical system control unit arranged to control driving of the correction optical system based on the eye refractive power obtained by the eye refractive power measurement unit when the checking mode is established; and

a diaphragm control unit arranged to control driving of the diaphragm switching unit based on the switching signal from the switching signal inputting unit to switch the aperture size of the diaphragm between the first size and the second size when the checking mode is established.

9. The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the diaphragm switching unit comprises any one of:

(a) the diaphragm having a variable aperture size, wherein the diaphragm switching unit is arranged to selectively vary the aperture size of the diaphragm between the first size and the second size;

(b) the diaphragm defined by a first diaphragm having an aperture size corresponding to the first size and a second diaphragm having an aperture size corresponding to the second size, wherein the diaphragm switching unit is arranged to selectively place the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm in the optical path; and

(c) the diaphragm having an aperture size corresponding to the first size, wherein the diaphragm switching unit is arranged to insert and remove the diaphragm into and from the optical path, and an aperture size on the optical path when the diaphragm is removed from the optical path defines the second size.