Patent Document ID: 7621636
Application ID: 11621943
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method comprising: projecting light from a near infrared light source into an annular visible light illumination path of a fundus camera to form a near infrared illumination beam; spatially filtering the near infrared illumination beam to form an annular near infrared illumination beam substantially overlapping the annular visible light illumination path, with the annular visible light illumination path configured so that visible light projected into the annular visible light illumination path forms an annular visible light illumination beam that illuminates the retina of an eye of a subject; focusing the annular near infrared illumination beam and the annular visible light illumination beam to an annular ring at the cornea region of the eye of a subject; and tapping a portion of a near infrared imaging beam, formed when the annular near infrared illumination beam is reflected from the cornea and/or retina of the eye of a subject, to form a tapped portion directed to a sensor that forms a near infrared image of the cornea and/or retina of the eye, and where the annular near infrared illumination beam and the near infrared imaging beam do not overlap at the cornea region when a working distance value between an objective lens and the anterior surface of the eye is correct so that only an image of the retina is formed at the sensor.