A dirty microscope is unpleasant but doesn’t kill the unit. Mechanical neglect and/or lack of routine maintenance will. If the microscope is not well lubricated and mechanically re-adjusted, there is a risk of gradual seizing and/or breaking.
Many factors can cause lubricants to dry. Like any mechanical instrument, regular care is needed to keep your microscope from being damaged and operating properly. Lack of use or environmental conditions can contribute to lubricants drying even faster.
Different Microscope types require their own specific components to be set-up up to the manufacturer requirements. Proper microscope operation requires exact setting like basic Koehler settings, centering and aligning phase annuli’s in Phase Contrast, Hoffman modulation alignment, fluorescent lamp alignment, condenser height set-up etc.
