These stages included the following:
- photosensitive cell
- aggregates of pigment cells without a nerve
- an optic nerve surrounded by pigment cells and covered by translucent skin
- pigment cells forming a small depression and then a deeper depression
- the skin over the depression gradually taking a lens shape
- evolution of muscles that allow the lens to adjust.
These stages in living animals are believed to constitute major evidence for the evolution of the eye.