Inverted Microscope

Microscopes allow you to view the structures of living cells, tissues, and microorganisms. There are many different kinds of microscopes, we will focus on the inverted microscope and compare it to a traditional light microscope. Inverted microscopes are a type of light microscope that uses light to illuminate the specimen so that it can be studied. Their uniqueness is derived from their structure.

Inverted microscopes are aptly named. The light source and condenser are mounted above the stage, lighting the specimen from above instead of from below and the lens are positioned below the stage, instead of above as with a traditional light microscope. The eyepiece is situated across from the stage, in it’s normal configuration. Inverted microscopes are used primarily to study living organisms and tissue samples.

The advantages of using an inverted microscope are many. Most importantly, the inverted microscope allows you to study a larger and/or thicker sample than a traditional light microscope. Using a traditional light microscope forces you to take a small thin sample from a culture and then place a cover piece over it. This changes the dynamics of the sample. By using an inverted microscope you make fewer changes to the size, temperature and oxygen content of the specimen you are studying. An inverted microscope allows you to watch microorganisms in a more natural environment.

Another advantage of an inverted microscope is its ability to provide viewing of living organisms with little to no preparation. Examining a sample of pond water is an excellent example of the benefits of an inverted microscope. These microscopes provide a method to view microorganisms under conditions where its behavior is less likely to change. Using an inverted microscope allows you to move the sample and watch as an organism zigs and zags in the container.

Additionally, they are beneficial for studying tissue samples. An inverted microscope allows you to view a thicker tissue sample and view contrasts without staining. This is beneficial because stains tend to kill the tissue being examined. An inverted microscope allows you to use phase contrast, or apply different levels of light, rather than staining the sample to see contrasts. The location of the lens, under the sample allows you to get closer to it than a traditional light microscope would.

There are two main disadvantages of inverted microscopes. First, they are expensive and models range from $2,000.00 US and up, depending on the sophiscation and bells and whistles included. Second, focusing over a larger distance can be difficult. When using a traditional light microscope, the slide and cover piece are a, for the most part, uniform thickness. The viewing lenses are designed to compensate for this additional thickness between the lens and the sample, which is relatively small. An inverted microscope, by contrast, has to look through varying degrees of thickness when examining samples as the Petri dishes or other containers used to contain the sample are not standard. The second disadvantage is the potential difficulty in focusing using a higher power resolution.

Overall, inverted microscopes serve their primary purpose of providing a better way to view tissue samples and microorganisms.