Recently, a question surfaced on the Microscopy list server regarding preparation of insect eggs for EM evaluation. While the electron microscopy approach involved considerable sample preparation (mounting, coating, etc.), our experience indicated that, for some of these applications, a combination of reflected and fluorescent confocal microscopy provided valuable information with little or no sample preparation required, provided there are not other considerations such as the extended resolution provided by electron microscopy.

In the biological arena, most confocal work is done in fluorescence mode, There have been some forays into imaging silver-stained structures using reflected light confocal but those applications have not been very prevalent in the literature. With the judicious addition of a quarter wave plate (a polarizing accessory) in the light path, the disruptive artifact from the laser beam can be removed from the image, converting any confocal into a dual purpose instrument.