Abstract: A method for characterizing a sample by imaging fluorescence microscopy includes detecting fluorescence intensity in a time-resolved fashion after switching off excitation radiation to establish a decay function, representing the decay of the fluorescence intensity over time, for a multiplicity of pixels, comparing the decay functions associated with the pixels to at least one reference decay function to establish an error value for one or more pixels, the error value associated with a pixel being a measure for a deviation of the decay function associated with the pixel from the reference decay function, and generating an image of the sample using the error values.