Animal studies play very important roles in the basic science research. Recently, several optical imaging methods, which are widely adopted in human retinal imaging, have been successfully applied into animal retina researches. By providing high-resolution cellular details about the retina without the need for histological section, these optical imaging methods provide powerful tools for researchers to study using the animal retina. Correspondingly, several new technologies have been developed for animal retina researches, which are also applicable for human retinal imaging, or provide new insights in understanding the human retina function mechanism. Based on their own research experiences in in vitro optical imaging methods for mouse retinas, the authors review several latest break-through technology developments in animal and human retinal imaging with high resolution and with a focus on demonstration of the “can-do” ability of the current technologies, hoping it will provide new insights to promote the advancements for ophthalmic imaging in both species.