An apparatus for ophthalmic laser surgery includes a contact surface (42) forshapingabutment of an eye to be treated, a first radiation-source (12) for making atreatment laser beam (14) available, optical components (20, 22, 28, 60) fordirecting the treatment laser beam through the contact surface onto the eye(16),and also a measuring instrument (50) for measuring the depth of the anteriorchamber of the eye bearing against the contact surface, whereby the measuringinstrument makes measured data available that are representative of the depthofthe anterior chamber of the eye at at least one point of the same. Theapparatusenables a monitoring of the depth of the anterior chamber for a differencebetween ameasured value and a predetermined limiting value and in this way can preventadangerous close approach of the posterior surface of the cornea to theanteriorsurface of the lens when the eye is pressed against the contact surface.
