Method for obtaining images of a cornea and apparatus for same.

摘要

An apparatus for observing or photographing corneal cells (such as cornea endothelium and epithelium) provides for optical axis alignment and focussing of an imaging system (3). The apparatus is capable of assessing the position of the area to be photographed and of measuring corneal thickness from the endothelium image so produced. A whole imaging system (3) which comprises:- an indicator projecting means (23), an eye-front observation optical system (6), an illuminating system (11) for obliquely illuminating the eyeball surface (2) through a slit (16), an optical system (19) for forming an enlarged image of the subject-part by the TV camera (8), and a "corneal cell focussing" photo-detector (30). The corneal cell focussing photo-detector (30) is automatically moved in X- and Y- directions with respect to the optical axis (4), so that the light spot (40) on a monitor screen (33) is brought to a specified position on the screen. When the light spot (40) is brought to this specified position, the eye-front image is recorded and, thereafter, the imaging system (3) is started and the system (3) moves forward so as to track the light spot (40) towards the subject's eye (1). By means of the photo-detector (30), an enlarged image of the corneal cells is recorded and displayed simultaneously with the eye-front image on which the light spot (40) is positioned. <IMAGE>