diff --git a/Eigen/src/Core/Diagonal.h b/Eigen/src/Core/Diagonal.h
index 26a58d664..618b8980b 100644
--- a/Eigen/src/Core/Diagonal.h
+++ b/Eigen/src/Core/Diagonal.h
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ MatrixBase<Derived>::diagonal() const
   *
   * \sa MatrixBase::diagonal(), class Diagonal */
 template<typename Derived>
-inline typename MatrixBase<Derived>::template DiagonalIndexReturnType<DynamicIndex>::Type
+inline typename MatrixBase<Derived>::DiagonalDynamicIndexReturnType
 MatrixBase<Derived>::diagonal(Index index)
 {
   return typename DiagonalIndexReturnType<DynamicIndex>::Type(derived(), index);
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ MatrixBase<Derived>::diagonal(Index index)
 
 /** This is the const version of diagonal(Index). */
 template<typename Derived>
-inline typename MatrixBase<Derived>::template ConstDiagonalIndexReturnType<DynamicIndex>::Type
+inline typename MatrixBase<Derived>::ConstDiagonalDynamicIndexReturnType
 MatrixBase<Derived>::diagonal(Index index) const
 {
   return typename ConstDiagonalIndexReturnType<DynamicIndex>::Type(derived(), index);
diff --git a/Eigen/src/Core/MatrixBase.h b/Eigen/src/Core/MatrixBase.h
index 2e6b631bf..97a59e692 100644
--- a/Eigen/src/Core/MatrixBase.h
+++ b/Eigen/src/Core/MatrixBase.h
@@ -244,19 +244,14 @@ template<typename Derived> class MatrixBase
     template<int Index>
     EIGEN_DEVICE_FUNC
     typename ConstDiagonalIndexReturnType<Index>::Type diagonal() const;
-
-    // Note: The "MatrixBase::" prefixes are added to help MSVC9 to match these declarations with the later implementations.
-    // On the other hand they confuse MSVC8...
-    #if EIGEN_COMP_MSVC >= 1500 // 2008 or later
-    typename MatrixBase::template DiagonalIndexReturnType<DynamicIndex>::Type diagonal(Index index);
-    typename MatrixBase::template ConstDiagonalIndexReturnType<DynamicIndex>::Type diagonal(Index index) const;
-    #else
-    EIGEN_DEVICE_FUNC
-    typename DiagonalIndexReturnType<DynamicIndex>::Type diagonal(Index index);
     
+    typedef Diagonal<Derived,DynamicIndex> DiagonalDynamicIndexReturnType;
+    typedef const Diagonal<const Derived,DynamicIndex> ConstDiagonalDynamicIndexReturnType;
+
     EIGEN_DEVICE_FUNC
-    typename ConstDiagonalIndexReturnType<DynamicIndex>::Type diagonal(Index index) const;
-    #endif
+    DiagonalDynamicIndexReturnType diagonal(Index index);
+    EIGEN_DEVICE_FUNC
+    ConstDiagonalDynamicIndexReturnType diagonal(Index index) const;
 
     template<unsigned int Mode> struct TriangularViewReturnType { typedef TriangularView<Derived, Mode> Type; };
     template<unsigned int Mode> struct ConstTriangularViewReturnType { typedef const TriangularView<const Derived, Mode> Type; };