This paper presents the use and characterization of an electrically focus tunable lens to perform axial scanning in a confocal microscope. Lateral and axial resolution are characterized over a >250 μm axial scan range. Confocal microscopy using optical axial scanning is demonstrated in epithelial tissue and compared to traditional stage scanning. By enabling rapid axial scanning, minimizing motion artifacts, and reducing mechanical complexity, this technique has potential to enhance in vivo threedimensional imaging in confocal endomicroscopy. © 2014 Optical Society of America.