Label-free photoacoustic ophthalmic angiography

Abstract

We present label-free functional photoacoustic imaging of the ocular microvasculature in living animals. The anterior segment of an adult mouse was imaged with a laser exposure level well within the American National Standards Institute safety standards. Individual red blood cells traveling along the iris capillaries were clearly resolved, and the hemoglobin oxygen saturation in the iris microvasculature was imaged spectrally. We believe that photoacoustic imaging has the potential to advance the diagnosis and treatment of ocular diseases in humans.