A system is used for contactless measurement of the optical imaging quality of an eye with an interferometer by which at least one light pulse with a short coherence length is coupled into the eye from a light source. The optical path length of at least one arm of the interferometer is varied for measuring the length of the eye until a typical interference pattern between a reflection of the cornea and a reflection of the retina of the eye occurs in a detector. This interference pattern together with a known path segment of the variation of the optical path length allows conclusions to be made about the length of the eye. The variation of the optical path length is carried out by introducing at least partially optically transparent elements and by at least one element of the interferometer which is movable in a defined manner in at least one of the light paths of the interferometer.