A light-pad microscope for observing a sample, the light-pad microscope having an illumination light path of an illumination light beam from a laser and for illuminating the sample through an illumination objective lens and at least one viewing light path (40, 50) for viewing the sample through a detection objective lens, the light-pad microscope comprising - the illumination objective lens; - the detection objective lens; - a tube lens, arranged in the illumination light path, in front of the illumination objective lens; - an illumination light path focussing arrangement, arranged in front of the tube lens in the illumination light path of the illumination light beam, wherein the illumination light path focussing arrangement is adapted to collimate and expand anamorphically the illumination light beam in one direction and comprises at least one of a cylindrical lens, an anamorphically shaped lens, a one-dimensional array of spherical or of aspherical lenses, or at least one anamorphically shaped mirror to focus the illumination light beam in the other direction, the illumination light path focussing arrangement thereby defining a substantially two-dimensional object illumination region as a light pad, extending along an illumination direction of the illumination light path of the illumination light beam and transversely thereto, for illuminating the sample, and - an illumination region-confining device (27, 29) in the illumination light path of the illumination light beam, arranged between the illumination light path focusing arrangement and the illumination objective lens, and for selectively illuminating a light-pad of the substantially two-dimensional object illumination region, the illumination region-confining device (27, 29) comprising a width confining slit, arranged in front of the tube lens, and a length confining slit, arranged between the tube lens and the illumination objective lens, wherein the light-pad of the substantially two-dimensional object illumination region is confined in the illumination direction and the direction transverse thereto. - the illumination objective lens; - the detection objective lens; - a tube lens, arranged in the illumination light path, in front of the illumination objective lens; - an illumination light path focussing arrangement, arranged in front of the tube lens in the illumination light path of the illumination light beam, wherein the illumination light path focussing arrangement is adapted to collimate and expand anamorphically the illumination light beam in one direction and comprises at least one of a cylindrical lens, an anamorphically shaped lens, a one-dimensional array of spherical or of aspherical lenses, or at least one anamorphically shaped mirror to focus the illumination light beam in the other direction, the illumination light path focussing arrangement thereby defining a substantially two-dimensional object illumination region as a light pad, extending along an illumination direction of the illumination light path of the illumination light beam and transversely thereto, for illuminating the sample, and - an illumination region-confining device (27, 29) in the illumination light path of the illumination light beam, arranged between the illumination light path focusing arrangement and the illumination objective lens, and for selectively illuminating a light-pad of the substantially two-dimensional object illumination region, the illumination region-confining device (27, 29) comprising a width confining slit, arranged in front of the tube lens, and a length confining slit, arranged between the tube lens and the illumination objective lens, wherein the light-pad of the substantially two-dimensional object illumination region is confined in the illumination direction and the direction transverse thereto.