摘要： Purpose: To demonstrate the value of the laser-scanning optical-resolution (LSOR)-photoacoustic (PA) microscopy (PAM) system and the conventional multimodal imaging techniques in the evaluation of laser-induced retinal injury and choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in rats. Methods: Different degrees of retinal injury were induced using laser photocoagulation. We compared the LSOR-PAM system with conventional imaging techniques in evaluating retinal injury with or without CNV. Six additional rats, treated with an anti-VEGF antibody or immunoglobulin G immediately after photocoagulation, were imaged 7 and 14 days after injection, and CNV lesion areas were compared. Results: In the retinal injury model, fundus autofluorescence showed well-defined hyperreflection, while the lesion displayed abundant PA signals demonstrating nonuniform melanin distribution in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). RPE was detected with higher contrast in the PAM B-scan image than optical coherence tomography (OCT). Additionally, the CNV lesion was present with multiple PA signal intensi- ties which distinctly characterized the location and area of CNV as found in fundus fluorescein angiography. Further- more, the decreased PA signals extending from the CNV le- sion were similar to those of the vascular bud in ex vivo im- aging, which was invisible in other in vivo images. When treated with anti-VEGF agents, statistically significant differ- ences can be demonstrated by PAM similar to other mo- dalities. Conclusions: LSOR-PAM can detect the melanin distribution of RPE in laser-induced retinal injury and CNV in rats. PAM imaging provides a potential new tool to evalu- ate the vitality and functionality of RPE in vivo as well as to monitor the development and treatment of CNV.