Patent ID: 8323273

Claim:
A method of altering at least one optical property of a tissue, comprising the steps of: contacting the tissue with an optical clearing device including a base, a plurality of pins with a pin packing density and non-flat contacting tips, and a brim circumscribing the plurality of pins; applying a substantially stationary localized mechanical force with the plurality of pins to the tissue without penetrating the tissue; maintaining a tissue contact between the plurality of pins and the tissue to produce at least one indentation of at least 0.1 mm in depth to move interstitial water out of the tissue volume beneath the tissue contact causing a spatial distribution of scattering particles to be modified and increasing radiative fluence in the tissue volume beneath the indentation; irradiating the tissue with at least one wavelength of radiation through the indentation; and removing the localized mechanical force from the tissue such that the at least one indentation persists on the tissue for at least 10 seconds.