Magnifying glass

The magnifying glass was a glass that produced a magnified image of an object. Sun rays sent through a magnifying glass could be used to burn things. It was known to humans, Time Lords and Apalapucians. It was usually carried in a handheld tool.

The Doctor
It was carried by the Doctor in several incarnations: second (TV: The Highlanders et. al.), third (TV: The Sea Devils et. al.), fourth (TV: Genesis of the Daleks et. al.), fifth (Four to Doomsday), tenth (TV: Partners in Crime et. al.) and eleventh (TV: The Crimson Horror).

An oversized magnifying glass was found by the Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond and Rory Williams in the Two Streams Facility on Apalapucia. Actually it was a time glass. (TV: The Girl Who Waited)

Weapon
Magnifying glass could amplify the heat from sun rays. In one occasion, Donna Noble used the Doctor's glass this way against a Vespiform which then went out the window. When it appeared again later, the sight of Donna holding the magnifying glass, despite not being near sunlight, was enough to scare it off. (TV: The Unicorn and the Wasp)

As a boy, Archibald Flint would sometimes amuse himself by burning ants with a magnifying glass. (AUDIO: The Spectre of Lanyon Moor)

Behind the scenes
Graeme Harper used magnifying glasses to achieve the effect of a distorted image of a main character, as a directorial "signature", p.e. in Army of Ghosts, The Unicorn and the Wasp, and Utopia.