Among the dazzling images in an exhibition of photomicrography at the Wistar Institute last month was “Rat retinal (eye) artery (200x): Fluorescence,” by Dr. Rong Wen, associate professor of ophthalmology. The microphotograph, which won Honorable Mention in the Nikon International Small World Competition, “was taken from a rat retina whose blood vessels were visualized by a fluorescent dye,” explains Wen. “An artery on the retinal inner surface branches out and eventually connects to the capillaries in the deeper layer. As part of my research on vascular disorders, I routinely examine retinal vascular patterns using fluorescence microscopy. I also appreciate the natural beauty of retinal vasculature.”
