Ultrasound stimulation of the retina was proposed as an alternative to retinal prostheses for visual restoration. Prior works have shown that the retina responds to mechanical stimulation, but no attempt on stimulating an ex vivo retina with a free-standing photoacoustic membrane had yet been made. Here, we report ultrahigh precision stimulation of the retina with optically generated focused ultrasound (OFUS). OFUS is generated with a photoacoustic membrane of embedded carbon nanoparticles in polydimetylsiloxane. Using ex vivo multielectrode array recording and pharmalogical approaches, we investigate the possible structures involved in the mechanosensitivity of the retina. We show that photoacoustic stimulation elicits responses in both healthy Long Evans and blind P23H rat retina. Fast (150 ms after stimulus onset), medium (300 ms), and slow (450 ms) responses were observed in healthy retina. Fast responses were abolished with L-AP4 and ACET in healthy retinas, and were not observed in blind retinas, suggesting the implication of photoreceptors in the response to ultrasound. CNQX and CPP abolished responses in healthy and blind retinas, suggesting that retinal ganglion cells are not involved in retinal mechanosensitivity. Our results provide evidence for different ultrasound sensitivities in the retina. Further studies will investigate how OFUS can offer a therapeutic approach for restoring vision in blind patients.