Avoid Dust, Damage & Bad Images by Covering Eyepieces

Read the Edited video transcript for ‘Avoid Dust, Damage & Bad Images by Covering Eyepieces’

Hi, this is Chad with Munday Scientific. Today, we’re going to talk about the importance of this cover. This is an eyepiece shield, and we sell these here at Munday Scientific. You’ll also see them on dual-headed scopes. Many people think the shield is just for keeping dust out of your eyepieces. It does work great for that, but there’s another very important reason to use it, and that’s what we’re going to discuss today.

Why You Should Use an Eyepiece Shield

If you’re the main viewer on the scope, you definitely want to have this shield in place—especially if no one is sitting at the second viewing position. First, it keeps the eyepieces clean. But second, and more importantly, it prevents unwanted light from entering through the eyepieces.

How Ambient Light Affects Image Quality

Let’s say you have a camera attached to the trinocular port. If you’re in a bright room with fluorescent lighting—which is common in universities and lab environments—light can shine through the open eyepieces if the shield is not installed. That light can show up in your image. You might notice it through the eyepieces, or it may appear on the camera image as glare or blotchy white spots.

This is also why the trinocular port allows you to direct all the light to the eyepieces, all the light to the camera, or split the light between the two.

Common Issue: Light Leakage

We get calls all the time from people saying, “I can see this white blotchy spot on the camera image,” or “I’m having trouble seeing clearly through the eyepieces.” Often, the cause is light shining through an uncovered eyepiece. It may seem simple, but these shields are not just for dust protection—they can significantly improve your image quality.

Conclusion

So, make sure you keep these shields on your microscope. We manufacture them here at Monday Scientific, and they’re available on our website. We’ll include a link in the video description. If this video brought you value, please like and subscribe.