The cellular and microvascular responses of JC Lewis rats to an intravenous injection of activated T cells specific for ovalbumin were examined with the retinal whole mount technique. The retina was examined at various times post-injection (pi) with the use of antibodies to the ␣ T cell receptor (TCR) or to major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II), the monoclonal antibody ED1, and intravascular tracers. By 12 hours pi, small numbers of TCR ؉ , ED1 ؉ , and MHC II ؉ cells were present within the lumen of retinal vessels, and minor breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier (BRB) and microglial activation were evident. The intensity of these responses had increased by 1 day pi, when small numbers of TCR ؉ cells had also undergone extravasation. By 2 to 3 days pi, the numbers of TCR ؉ , ED1 ؉ , and MHC II ؉ cells in the retinal parenchyma had increased, but the BRB breakdown and microglial activation had subsided.