Description
Confocal microscopy offers several advantages over conventional widefield optical microscopy, including the ability to control depth of field, elimination or reduction of background information away from the focal plane (that leads to image degradation), and the capability to collect serial optical sections from thick specimens. The basic key to the confocal approach is the use of spatial filtering techniques to eliminate out-of-focus light or glare in specimens whose thickness exceeds the immediate plane of focus.
How this lab uses this technology
Confocal microscopy is especially powerful for imaging thick samples, reconstructing three dimensional structures and analyzing subcellular details with high precision. While widefield microscopy is ideal for fast overview imaging, confocal microscopy is the method of choice when accuracy, depth resolution and structural detail are essential.