Patent ID: 7349725

Claim:
A fluorescent-light image obtaining apparatus comprising excitation light emitting means for projecting excitation light onto a target tissue, and illuminating light emitting means for projecting illuminating light onto the target tissue, and fluorescent-light image obtaining means for obtaining a fluorescent-light image formed of the fluorescent-light emitted from the target tissue upon irradiation thereof by the excitation light, and a normal-image obtaining means for obtaining a normal-image formed of the illuminating light reflected from the target tissue upon irradiation thereof by the illuminating light, further comprising a contact detecting means for detecting that the distal end of excitation light emitting means has come into contact with the target tissue, and an excitation light emission controlling means for controlling, in response to the detection signal of said contact detecting means, the output of the excitation light emitted from the excitation light emitting means.