A cathode ray tube comprises a series of quadru­polar lenses for focusing a beam of electrons, emitted from a cathode at one end of an evacuated envelope under the control of a control electrode, at a target screen at the other end of the envelope. After having been focused at the target by adjustment of electric potentials on the quadrupolar lenses, the electron beam will defocus upon change in a potential on the control electrode because then the crossover or initial focusing point of the electron beam will be displaced along the central axis of the enve­lope. With a view to ready refocusing of the beam at the target, a refocusing lens is provided between the crossover point and the quadrupolar lenses for providing a convering lens action of radial symmetry about the envelope axis. The beam can be refocused through adjustment of a single potential on the refocusing lens rather than through ad­justment of several different potentials on the quadrupolar lenses.