OCT system and OCT method

An OCT system for examining a measurement object, comprising an OCT light source for emitting OCT light, comprising a polarization-neutral beam splitter for splitting the OCT light into an object beam path and a reference beam path, wherein the OCT light is polarized before entering the polarization-neutral beam splitter, and comprising a detector for picking up an interference signal generated from the object beam path and the reference beam path, wherein a polarization-dependent retardation element is arranged in the object beam path, wherein all optical elements that shape or deflect the object beam path on the path from the OCT light source to the measurement object are arranged between the OCT light source and the retardation element, wherein the light from the reference beam path is caused to interfere with light from the object beam path at an interference beam splitter, wherein the polarization state in the reference beam path is set such that the interference with the OCT light coming from the measurement object becomes maximal, wherein the polarization-dependent retardation element is configured such that at the interference beam splitter a polarization overlap between light backscattered from the measurement object and light arriving from the reference beam path is greater than a polarization overlap between light reflected by optical elements in the object beam path and the light arriving from the reference beam path, and wherein both the light backscattered from the measurement object and the light reflected by the optical elements in the object beam path are guided onto the detector and are detected by the detector.