Patent ID: 7549746

Claim:
A fundus observation device comprising: a first image forming part having an illuminating optical system configured to emit illumination light onto fundus oculi of an eye and an imaging optical system configured to detect the illumination light having reached said fundus oculi by the first detection part, wherein the first image forming part forms a 2-dimensional image of the surface of said fundus oculi based on the detection results by said first detection part; a second image forming part having a light source configured to emit low coherent light with a wavelength which is different from said illumination light; an interference optical generating part configured to split said emitted low coherent light into the signal light directed towards said fundus oculi and the reference light directed towards a reference object and to generate interference light by superposing the signal light having reached said fundus oculi and the reference light having reached said reference object; and a second detection part configured to detect said interference light generated, wherein said second image forming part forms tomographic images of said fundus oculi based on the detected results by said second detection part; an optical path combination and separation part configured to combine the photographing optical path formed by said imaging optical system and the optical path of a signal light directed toward said fundus oculi so as to illuminate said signal light onto said fundus oculi through said photographing optical path, and configured to separate said photographing optical path from the optical path of the signal light toward said fundus oculi so as to superpose said signal light on said reference light by said interference optical generating part; an alignment optical system configured to project an alignment indicator on said eye to preliminarily adjust a device for said eye; and a controlling part configured to control said alignment optical system to terminate projection of said alignment indicator on said eye before said illumination light is detected by said first detection part, wherein said alignment optical system comprises a first alignment optical system which projects a first alignment indicator on said eye for adjusting the focus of said eye, a first alignment light source configured to emit a first alignment light, a split prism configured to split said emitted first alignment light into two light fluxes, and a first optical path-combination part configured to combine said two light fluxes into an optical path toward said fundus oculi, further comprising a drive part configured to detach said first optical path-combination part from said optical path toward the fundus oculi, and said controlling part controls said drive part to evacuate said first optical path-combination part from said optical path toward the fundus oculi, so as to prevent projection of said first alignment indicator on said eye.