Abstract: Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of the diode laser in inducing choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in Brown Norway (BN) rats. Methods: Ten diode laser spots (75μm, 0.1s and 150mW) were applied to one fundus around the optic disc of 10 BN rats. The same spot of CNV formation was determined by fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) on the 7, 14, 21 and 28d after laser photocoagulation. The changes of the number /area ratio of fluorescein leakage（mm²）at the early-phase (<2　minutes) and the late-phase (>10 minutes) of each day were measured. Results: The number /mean area ratio of the fluorescein leakage had not a statistically significant difference among the early FFA phase on the 14, 21 and 28d (P>0.05), but a significant difference between the 14, 21 and 28d and the 7d (P<0.05). The number of the fluorescein leakage at the earlyphase of 7, 14, 21 and 28d was not significantly different from that at the late-phase (P>0.05). The correlation of the mean area of the fluorescein leakage and the mean retinal thickness was obvious（r=0.73, P<0.05）. Conclusion: The laser-induced rat is suitable for studying CNV in vivo. FFA combined with OCT is better for detecting the formation and the changes of CNV.

Key words: Diode laser, Choroidal neovascularization, Fluorescein angiography, Optical coherence tomography, Rat, BN