Advantages And Disadvantages Of The Microscope

Microscopy Like no other invention, the microscope has unveiled the secrets of nature and has opened up a whole new dimension in science. By using microscopes, scientists were able to discover and study the existence of microorganisms that brought to light a new realm of information that originally laid dormant and invisible to the naked eye. Today, the microscope is still a commonly used tool to diagnose illness and monitor disease progression by facilitating the examination of tissue, body fluids, stained blood smears, urine sediments, performing cell counts, observing cellular reactions and interpreting stains containing microorganisms. (Akhtar, S. 2012)

“The compound microscope uses lenses and light to enlarge the image, and is also called an optical or light microscope. The simplest optical microscope is the magnifying glass and is good to about ten times (10X) magnification. The compound microscope has two systems of lenses for greater magnification, 1) the ocular, or eyepiece lens and 2) the objective lens, or the lens closest to the object.” (Pujari, S., 2015). The microscope must

Objectives are also instrumental in determining the magnification of a particular specimen and the resolution under which fine specimen detail can be observed in the microscope. (Spring, K., et al. 2012). “A typical microscope has at least three to four objective lenses mounted on a revolving nosepiece to allow maximum usage for different magnifications. The low-power objective is the shortest and generally magnifies 10x; the middle-sized lens is the high-dry objective that usually magnifies between 40x and 45x; and the longest lens is the oil-immersion lens that usually magnifies between 97x and 100x.” (Ogbonnaya, C.