Microscope Cover Glass

Cover Glass (coverslips) are thin, transparent glass or plastic squares (e.g., 18×18 mm, 22×22 mm) or rectangles (22×30 mm, 24×50 mm) used to cover specimens on microscope slides for microscopic examination. Available in thickness No. 1 (0.13-0.16 mm) and No. 1.5 (0.16-0.19 mm) for optimal microscopy. Made from optical glass with high light transmission (>90%), refractive index 1.52 matching immersion oil. Packaged in boxes of 100-1000, interleaved with paper to prevent scratching. Primary clinical applications include covering blood films for manual differential counts and malaria diagnosis, wet mount preparations of urine sediment and vaginal secretions, histopathology and cytology slides, Gram-stained bacterial smears, semen analysis, KOH preparations for fungal elements, and India ink preparations for Cryptococcus. Critical safety precautions include handling with forceps (sharp edges), disposing of broken coverslips in sharps containers, avoiding fingerprints on optical surface, and proper disposal of biohazard-contaminated coverslips. Essential consumable in every clinical laboratory performing microscopy.