The optical microscope, often referred to as the "light
microscope", is a type of microscope which uses visible light and a system
of lenses to magnify images of small samples. Optical microscopes are the
oldest design of microscope and were possibly designed in their present
compound form in the 17th century. Basic optical microscopes can be very
simple, although there are many complex designs which aim to improve resolution
and sample contrast. Historically optical microscopes were easy to develop and
are popular because they use visible light so that samples may be directly
observed by eye.
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| Binocular Microscope |
There are two basic configurations of the conventional
optical microscope: the simple (single lens) and the compound (many lenses).
The vast majority of modern research microscopes are compound microscopes while
some cheaper commercial digital microscopes are simple single lens microscopes.
A magnifying glass is, in essence, a basic single lens microscope. In general,
microscope optics are static; to focus at different focal depths the lens to
sample distance is adjusted, and to get a wider or narrower field of view a
different magnification objective lens must be used. Most modern research
microscopes also have a separate set of optics for illuminating the sample
It is difficult to say who invented the compound microscope.
Dutch spectacle-makers Hans Janssen and his son Zacharias Janssen are often
said to have invented the first compound microscope in 1590.
Christiaan Huygens, another Dutchman, developed a simple
2-lens ocular system in the late 17th century that was achromatically
corrected, and therefore a huge step forward in microscope development. The
Huygens ocular is still being produced to this day, but suffers from a small
field size, and other minor problems.
In August 1893 August Köhler developed Köhler illumination.
This method of sample illumination gives rise to extremely even lighting and
overcomes many limitations of older techniques of sample illumination. Before
development of Köhler illumination the image of the light source, for example a
lightbulb filament, was always visible in the image of the sample.
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