Adjusting The Eyepiece Dioptre On Your Microscope

What is a Dioptre Adjustment in Microscope, and why do we need it?

Many people do not have the same vision in both eyes.  So when viewing down a microscope with two eyepieces, it’s important to be able to adjust the eyepieces to suit the vision of each individual eye, to help the user see a clear, focused image.  The dioptre adjustment enables you to do just that.  Either one or both eyepieces on the microscope will have a dioptre adjustment that can be tweaked accordingly, to suit the microscope user’s eyes.  This applies to both compound microscopes and stereo microscopes.

How to Focus the Microscope Eyepieces by Setting Up the Dioptre Adjustment:

Step 1:

Find the dioptre adjustment on your microscope! Some microscopes have adjustment on one eyepiece, others have it for both. Also, on some microscopes the adjustment is on the eyepiece itself and on others, it’s on the eyepiece tube (that the eyepiece slots into).

Step 2:

Zero the dioptre:  You will see on the part that twists that there is a + and – sign, with a ‘0’ in between the two.  You should also see on the fixed part beneath this, a mark on the eyepiece tube – either a line or a dot.  Twist the eyepiece dioptre adjustment so that the zero lines up with the mark (on both eyepieces if you have the adjustment on both eyeieces).  This brings it to the standard default setting.

Step 3:

Bring the sample into focus (as best as possible) at a high magnification.  We recommend the 40x objective if using a compound microscope, or the 4x zoom if using a stereo microscope.

Step 4:

If your microscope only has dioptre adjustment for one eyepiece:

Close your eye for the eyepiece that has the adjustment, so you are viewing through only the eyepiece that has no dioptre adjustment.

Adjust the microscope focus accordingly, to bring the sample perfectly into focus.

Then swap eyes! Close the eye that you just focused the sample with and open the eye for the eyepiece that has the dioptre adjustment.

Adjust the eyepiece DIOPTRE (not the microscope focus) until this image is in focus.

Open both eyes and you should have a perfectly focused image, adjusted for your eyesight.

If your microscope has dioptre adjustment for both eyepieces:

After zeroing both eyepieces, close one of your eyes whilst viewing down one eyepiece with your other eye.

Adjust the microscope focus accordingly (not the dioptre adjustment), to bring the sample perfectly into focus for the eye that you have open.

Then swap eyes! Close the eye that you just focused the sample with and open the eye for the other eyepiece.

Adjust the eyepiece DIOPTRE (not the microscope focus) until this image is in focus.

Open both eyes and you should have a perfectly focused image, adjusted for your eyesight.

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That’s it! All done.

Please feel free to contact us by email: sales@gtvision.co.uk if you have any further questions.