Oxygen distribution and vascular injury in the mouse eye measured by phosphorescence-lifetime imaging.

Maps of the oxygen distribution in the retina of the mouse eye were obtained by phosphorescence-lifetime imaging. Phosphor dissolved in the blood was excited by modulated light and phosphorescence imaged through microscope optics with an intensified-CCD camera. Phosphorescence lifetimes and oxygen pressures were calculated for each pixel of the images. The resolution was sufficient to permit the detection of anomalies that result in reduced oxygen pressures in individual retinal capillaries. High-resolution maps of oxygen distribution in the retina can provide greater understanding of the role of oxygen and vascular function in diseases of the eye.