Abstract: An apparatus for optical coherence tomography has a broadband light source with a short coherence length, an optical fiber that guides the light from the light source to a focusing optics, and a graded-index optics arranged between the optical fiber and the focusing optics with two opposite parallel flat sides, that is contacted on its first flat side by the optical fiber forming an irradiation point guiding light to the graded-index optics and having a pitch of N/8, N being a natural number that cannot be divided by 4. A first structure for light reflection is arranged on the first flat side of the graded-index optics adjacent to the irradiation point, and a second structure for beam splitting is arranged on the second flat side of the graded-index optics. The focusing optics are designed for focusing the light transmitted by the second structure essentially at right angles to the flat sides of the graded-index optics.