The sulfated proteoglycans in the normal human lamina cribrosa were studied by electron microscopy after cuprolinic blue dye binding. Within the cores of the laminar plates, three types of cuprolinic blue-positive proteoglycan filaments with different sizes were associated with collagen fibers. These filaments, which were partially sensitive to chondroitinase AC and chondroitinase B, were completely removed by chondroitinase ABC and were identified as chondroitin/dermatan sulfate proteoglycans. In addition, small punctate and filamentous structures that stained with cuprolinic blue were associated with the basal laminae of astrocytes and blood vessels. Enzyme chondroitinase ABC had no effect, but heparinase digested all of these basement membrane-associated structures, indicating that they represented heparan sulfate proteoglycan molecules. Keratanase did not affect any of the cuprolinic blue-positive materials. This investigation illustrates the ultrastructural distribution and morphology of proteoglycans in the human lamina cribrosa and provides baseline information for future studies regarding the roles of proteoglycan molecules in diseases such as glaucoma.