Figure 1. Preparation of thick sections for light microscopy.

A. Vibratome sectioning of lenses. Lenses were mounted and sectioned parallel to the optic axis. A = anterior pole , P = posterior pole. Vibratome sections at or near the optic axis contained all the developmental regions of the lens: c = cortex, a = adult nucleus, j = juvenile nucleus, f = fetal nucleus, e = embryonic nucleus. Vibratome sections were bisected along the equatorial plane and thick sections (0.5µm to 1.0µm) were cut along 1/2 of the equatorial axis, stained with toluidine blue, and mounted on glass slides for light microscopic examination.

B. Composite diagram of a thick section from a bovine lens. The location of light micrographs in Figure 2 is shown.

C. Composite diagram of a thick section from a human lens. The location of light micrographs in Figure 3 is shown.