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Microscope Illumination - the LED revolution
Date: 15/2/2011
Light-emitting diode products are set to replace conventional discharge and incandescent lamps to provide more simple, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly alternatives. Here, James Beacher summarises current microscope illumination and looks at LED developments
The use of microscopes in hospitals and laboratories covers a very wide spectrum of applications, from the identification of fungal mycelium in a clinic to the screening of cervical preparations for premalignant change in cytopathology, and the identification of acid fast bacilli (AAFB) in microbiology. Such procedures make use of different microscopy techniques including conventional brightfield (transmitted light), phase contrast (DIC) and fluorescence techniques.
Historically, illumination has been provided by a range of conventional incandescent or discharge lamps. They can be classified as halogen (also tungsten-halogen), xenon, mercury (also known as an HBO or UV burner) and metal halide. In recent years, light-emmitting diode (LED) illumination products have become available and offer many exciting benefits.
In this article, the different types of illumination available are reviewed, their benefits and disadvantages identified, and consideration given to the convenience, safety, environmental and reduced operating costs of new LED-based products..
