Cylindrical lens have at least one surface that is formed in the shape of a cylinder. Cylindrical lenses are used to correct astigmatism in the eye, and, in rangefinders, to produce astigmatism, stretching a point of light into a line. This area includes micro cylindrical lenses as well.
Light guides conduct the flow of light from a light source to a point of use in areas that are too small or too hazardous to permit the installation of a light bulb. There are two basic types of light guides: liquid and fiber optic. Light guides are sometimes called light pipes (lightpipes).
Optical lenses are transparent components made from optical-quality materials and curved to converge or diverge transmitted rays from an object. These rays then form a real or virtual image of the object. This area includes micro lenses.
Optical mirrors have a smooth, highly-polished, plane or curved surface for reflecting light. Usually, the reflecting surface is a thin coating of silver, or aluminum on glass.
Optical prisms are blocks of optical material with flat, polished sides that are arranged at precisely controlled angles to one another. They are used in optical systems to deflect or redirect beams of light. They can invert or rotate images, disperse light into component wavelengths, and separate states of polarization.
Spherical lenses, also known as singlets, are transparent optical components consisting of one or more pieces of optical glass with surfaces so curved that they serve to converge or diverge the transmitted rays from an object, thus forming a real or virtual image of that object. This area includes micro spherical lenses as well.
