Biological microscopes, clinical microscopes & laboratory microscopes

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Microscopes for Biology & Medicine

Also called laboratory microscopes, clinical microscopes or biological microscopes, these are the most common type of microscope sold and can be found in shool biology labs, doctor's offices and veterinary clinics. Biological microscopes are typically binocular compound microscopes and have high-power magnification up to 400x power.

Because the objects to be examined are normally placed on a clear glass slide or in a petri dish, light is transmitted through the object against a bright background. This is called brightfield illumination or brightfield reflected light.

Some microscopes for biology or medical applications are sold in an "inverted" configuration. Inverted microscopes allow an object to be viewed from underneath with the lenses under the stage and illuminated from above. In this way, you can put a larger object like a petri dish on the stage and move it around without bumping the lenses.

Often, biological specimens are stained with a fluorescent dye to make internal structures more visible from their background. Microscopes outfitted with special lighting systems to illuminate the dyes can be used for this purpose. The study of such specimens is called fluorescence microscopy.