Acoustically induced inelastic light scattering, first reported in 1922 by Brillouin 1 , allows noncontact, direct readout of the viscoelastic properties of a material and has widely been investigated for material characterization 2 , structural monitoring 3 and environmental sensing 4 . Extending the Brillouin technique from point sampling spectroscopy to imaging modality 5 would open up new possibilities for mechanical imaging, but has been challenging because rapid spectrum acquisition is required. Here, we demonstrate a confocal Brillouin microscope based on a fully parallel spectrometer-a virtually imaged phased array-that improves the detection efficiency by nearly 100-fold over previous approaches. Using the system, we show the first cross-sectional Brillouin imaging based on elastic properties as the contrast mechanism and monitor fast dynamic changes in elastic modulus during polymer crosslinking. Furthermore, we report the first in situ biomechanical measurement of the crystalline lens in a mouse eye. These results suggest multiple applications of Brillouin microscopy in biomedical and biomaterial science.The mechanical properties of biological tissues and biomaterials are closely related to their functional abilities 6 , and thus play significant roles in many areas of medicine. For example, coronary arteries hardened by calcification can cause heart problems, mechanically weakened bones resulting from osteoporosis represent a serious orthopaedic concern, and the stiffness of the extra-cellular matrix influences drug delivery and cell motility 7 . As such, the ability to measure mechanical properties non-invasively in vivo at the microscopic (cellular) scale would have a wide range of biomedical applications, as well as uses in material science and engineering 8,9 .Conventional mechanical tests, such as dynamic mechanical analysis and rheometry, require mechanical forces to be applied to samples through contact and, although accurate and comprehensive, they are therefore not well suited to in situ high-resolution measurements. Miniaturized mechanical methods have become increasingly sophisticated 10 , but they are still limited to surface measurement. Elastography is a promising technique used to extract mechanical information from structural deformation images 11 ; however, sensitivity to the assumed stress distribution and physiological motion limit spatial resolution and measurement precision. Acoustic techniques, such as ultrasound and acoustic microscopy, are non-invasive and can offer microscopic resolution. However, these techniques tend to be effective only for Spontaneous Brillouin scattering is an inelastic scattering process arising from inherent density fluctuations, or acoustic phonons, in the medium (Fig. 1a). Brillouin spectroscopy measures spectral changes upon scattering, providing direct information on the phonon's properties that are closely related to the viscoelastic properties of the medium (see Methods). Previously, Brillouin spectroscopy has been used successfully to me...