An optical instrument is a device that processes light waves (or photons), either to enhance an image for viewing or to analyze and determine their characteristic properties. Common examples include periscopes, microscopes, telescopes, and cameras.
The most widely used optical equipment in the laboratory is the microscope, which uses a magnification mechanism that consists of a system of converging lenses located between the eye and the object, which refract the light that passes through them, separating the incident rays and, therefore, enlarging the image.