Thin lens is the index of refraction of the lens material, and "R" and "R" are the radii of curvature of the two surfaces. For a thin lens, "d" is much smaller than one of the radii of curvature (either "R" or "R"). In these conditions, the last term of the Lensmaker's equation becomes negligible, and the focal length of a thin lens in air can be approximated by Here "R" is taken to be positive if the first surface is convex, and negative if the surface is concave. The signs are reversed for the back surface of the lens: "R" is
Cylindrical lens Cylindrical lens A cylindrical lens is a lens which focuses light into a line instead of a point, as a spherical lens would. The curved face or faces of a cylindrical lens are sections of a cylinder, and focus the image passing through it into a line parallel to the intersection of the surface of the lens and a plane tangent to it. The lens compresses the image in the direction perpendicular to this line, and leaves it unaltered in the direction parallel to it (in the tangent plane). In a light sheet microscope, a cylindrical lens is placed in