Compound microscopes are light illuminated.

The image seen with this type of

microscope is two dimensional. This microscope is the most commonly used. You can
view individual cells, even living ones. It has high magnification. However, it has a
low resolution.The term light refers to the method by which light transmits the image
to your eye. Compound deals with the microscope having more than one lens.
Microscope is the combination of two words; "micro" meaning small and "scope"
meaning view. The creation of the compound microscope by the Janssens helped to
advance the field of microbiology light years ahead of where it had been only just a
few years earlier. The Janssens added a second lens to magnify the image of the
primary (or first) lens.

Dissection Microscope
A dissection microscope is light illuminated. The image that appears is three
dimensional. It is used for dissection to get a better look at the larger specimen. You
cannot see individual cells because it has a low magnification