Image processing device and image processing method

1. An image processing device comprising:

at least one memory storing executable instructions; and

at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and executing the executable instructions to cause the image processing device to:

generate phase retardation information of a subject eye by using information about a plurality of lights obtained by dividing, into lights having different polarizations, a light obtained by combining a light returned from the subject eye irradiated with a measurement light and a reference light corresponding to the measurement light;

detect a first region of the subject eye in which a change amount of the phase retardation information in a depth direction of the subject eye is larger than a threshold value;

detect a second region of the subject eye in which a region is not depolarized in the detected first region as at least one candidate region of fibrosis of the eye; and

output an indication of location of the at least one candidate region to a display unit.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor executes the executable instructions to cause the image processing device to:

generate a tomographic image of uniformity of polarization of the subject eye by using information about a phase difference of the plurality of lights; and

judge, by using information about the detected region and the tomographic image of the uniformity of the polarization, whether the detected region has fibrosed or has not fibrosed.

3. The image processing device according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one processor executes the executable instructions to cause the image processing device to cause a display unit to display a result of such judgement.

4. The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor executes the executable instructions to cause the image processing device to:

generate an image including the detected region superimposed on a luminance tomographic image of the subject eye generated by using the information about the plurality of lights; and

display unit to display the generated image.

5. The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor executes the executable instructions to cause the image processing device to cause a display unit to display a polarization tomographic image showing the change amount of the phase retardation information.

6. An image processing device comprising:

at least one memory storing executable instructions; and

at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and executing the executable instructions to cause the image processing device to:

generate intensity information of the subject eye by using information about a plurality of lights obtained by dividing, into lights having different polarizations, a light obtained by combining a light returned from the subject eye irradiated with a measurement light and a reference light corresponding to the measurement light;

detect a first region of the subject eye in which a change amount of the intensity information in a depth direction of the subject eye is larger than a threshold value;

detect a second region of the subject eye in which a variation degree of fast axis orientation information is smaller than a threshold value in the detected first region as at least one candidate region of fibrosis of the eye; and

output an indication of location of the at least one candidate region to a display unit.

7. The image processing device according to claim 6 , wherein the at least one processor executes the executable instructions to cause the image processing device to detect a region in which the variation degree of the fast-axis orientation information is smaller than a threshold value.

8. The image processing device according to claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor executes the executable instructions to cause the image processing device to:

generate a tomographic image of uniformity of polarization of the subject eye by using information about a phase difference of the plurality of lights; and

judge, by using information about the detected region and the tomographic image of the uniformity of the polarization, whether the detected region has fibrosed or has not fibrosed.

9. An image processing method comprising:

generating phase retardation information of a subject eye by using information about a plurality of lights obtained by dividing, into lights having different polarizations, a light obtained by combining a light returned from the subject eye irradiated with a measurement light and a reference light corresponding to the measurement light;

detecting a first region of the subject eye in which a change amount of the phase retardation information in a depth direction of the subject eye is larger than a threshold value;

detecting a second region of the subject eye in which a region is not depolarized in the detected first region as at least one candidate region of fibrosis of the eye; and

outputting an indication of location of the at least one candidate region to a display unit.

10. The image processing method according to claim 9 , further comprising:

generating a tomographic image of uniformity of polarization of the subject eye by using information about a phase difference of the plurality of lights; and

judging, by using information about the detected region and the tomographic image of the uniformity of the polarization, whether the detected region has fibrosed or has not fibrosed.

11. The image processing method according to claim 10 , further comprising causing a display unit to display a result of the judging.

12. The image processing method according to claim 9 , further comprising

generating an image including the detected region superimposed on a luminance tomographic image of the subject eye generated by using the information about the plurality of lights; and

causing a display unit to display the generated image.

13. The image processing method according to claim 9 , further comprising causing a display unit to display a polarization tomographic image showing the change amount of the phase retardation information.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program that when executed by a computer causes the computer to execute the image processing method according to claim 9 .

15. An image processing method comprising:

generating intensity information of the subject eye by using information about a plurality of lights obtained by dividing, into lights having different polarizations, a light obtained by combining a light returned from the subject eye irradiated with a measurement light and a reference light corresponding to the measurement light;

detecting a first region of the subject eye in which a change amount of the intensity information in a depth direction of the subject eye is larger than a threshold value;

detecting a second region of the subject eye in which a variation degree of fast axis orientation information is smaller than a threshold value in the detected first region as at least one candidate region of fibrosis of the eye; and

outputting an indication of location of the at least one candidate region to a display unit.

16. The image processing method according to claim 15 , further comprising detecting a region in which the variation degree of the fast-axis orientation information is smaller than a threshold value.

17. The image processing method according to claim 16 , further comprising:

generating a tomographic image of uniformity of polarization of the subject eye by using information about a phase difference of the plurality of lights; and

judging, by using information about the detected region and the tomographic image of the uniformity of the polarization, whether the detected region has fibrosed or has not fibrosed.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program that when executed by a computer causes the computer to execute the image processing method according to claim 15 .