Why is the image seen in a compound microscope is inverted?

The image seen in a compound microscope is inverted because of the way light is refracted through the lenses. The objective lens, which is the first lens that light passes through, creates a real, inverted image of the specimen. This inverted image is then magnified by the eyepiece lens, which further enhances the inversion. As a result, the final image seen by the viewer appears upside down and reversed left to right.