Having been brought up on monocular microscopes I find the omnipresent binocular systems a luxury. To support this viewpoint I'd like to suggest some benefits you may not have considered.

Because I'm used to monocular viewing I sometimes use two different oculars, say 10X and 25X, in order to scan quickly to find an area of interest and then to examine the detail with higher magnification. Occasionally I use both oculars simultaneously and “concentrate” on either image to the exclusion of the other. A better way is to set the interocular distance at the extreme setting most different from your own interocular distance. By moving your head about a centimeter either way you can use either ocular.

A variation of this theme is very helpful when you are trying to find good crystals showing useful interference figures.