Stereological estimation of eye volume using the Pappus method

The estimation of object volume from rotationally randomised sections relies on an ancient geometrical principle due to the Alexandrian mathematician Pappus. In this paper we describe two studies that make estimates of eye volume using a stereological version of the Pappus principle. The first study uses a design-based version of the Pappus theorem to make estimates of eye volume in Sprague-Dawley rats and the second uses a model-based implementation for estimating eye volume in juvenile Dover sole. In the sole study we compare the estimates of volume with estimates made using the Cavalieri method and show that the Pappus method gives identical volume estimates with a markedly lower coefficient of variation (2.5%) than the Cavalieri method (13.5%).