Today,
I want to talk to you about three common problems that you may
encounter with your microscope equipment: alignment, parfocality and
internal contamination.
Alignment of the optics in a microscope is a common cause of eye fatigue for scope users. We do not recommend that you try to correct any alignment problems with your equipment. If you find your equipment out of alignment, we recommend you send it to Absolute Clarity so it can be corrected by a LASER alignment performed at our facility.
Parfocality is the ability of a scope to be focused at high magnification and maintain focus all the way to low magnification in both eyes. If a scope is not adjusted and setup properly, it may not have parfocality, which will cause eyestrain for the users. (See our website for more information on Proper Set-up procedures.)
Internal contamination is caused by the lack of regular and proper maintenance. This problem results from the internal lubricants aromatic components that evaporate after as few as 2 to 5 years. Once a film of sticky contamination has coated the internal optics, dirt can stick to the film making the images dull and hazy. You may notice that the zoom knob is hard to turn or the optics may chatter when zooming up or down. If you look backwards through the scope (up through the bottom lens) and slowly turn the zoom knob, you will be able to see the dirt on every optical surface in the system. (This will not work on infinite focus optical systems such as collimators, telescopes, long-range binoculars or Theodolite.)
Have you ever experienced eyestrain while looking through a microscope? Have you ever purchased a microscope that just wasn’t quite right? Remember, if you find any of these common microscope problems that cause eyestrain (read headaches), Absolute Clarity & Calibration, LLC is your answer.