Patent ID: 8057039

Claim:
A fundus imaging apparatus comprising: an irradiation optical system comprising a light source which emits a laser beam and a scanner which two-dimensionally scans the laser beam on a fundus of an examinee's eye, the irradiation optical system being adapted to focus the laser beam emitted from the light source on the fundus to form a confocal region in a direction of an optical axis of the irradiation optical system; an imaging optical system comprising a photo-receiving element which receives reflection light of the laser beam reflected from the fundus, the imaging optical system being adapted to focus the reflection light from the fundus and receive the reflection light by the photo-receiving element; a beam restriction member placed in an optical path of the imaging optical system, the beam restriction member comprising: one of an opening through which part of the reflection light from the fundus outside the confocal region in front and back of the confocal region in the optical axis direction is allowed to pass toward the photo-receiving element and a mirror part which reflects the part of the reflection light from the fundus outside the confocal region in the front and back of the confocal region toward the photo-receiving element; and a light shielding part which shields the reflection light from the fundus in the confocal region and the part of the reflection light from the fundus outside the confocal region in the front and back of the confocal region; wherein the light shielding part includes a first light shielding part placed in a conjugate position with a focus point of the laser beam on the fundus and a second light shielding part placed in a nearly conjugate position with the fundus and adapted to shield part of an optical path of the reflection light, the optical path of the refection light is formed around the first light shielding part; and a drive part which changes a light shielding region to be provided by the second light shielding part while shielding the reflection light from the fundus in the confocal region by the first light shielding part.