A laser therapy instrument, - designed for surgery on the cornea, the sclera, the vitreous body or the crystalline lens, especially for use alternately with other instruments for eye diagnosis or eye therapy, with the treatment area in which the patient or the eye is positioned having to be accessible to other instruments in succession, comprising: - a beam conducting device with an exit lens system for the therapeutic laser beam, - a device for moving at least part of the beam conducting device, including the exit lens system, into the treatment area at the beginning and for moving it out of the treatment area after the use of the laser therapy instrument, so that - the treatment area, after the part of the beam conducting device including the exit lens system has been moved out of it, is freely accessible for using the other instruments, - in which the part of the beam conducting device that is movable out is designed as a laser arm, wherein - the exit lens system provided on the laser arm is, proceeding from its working position at the eye, either swivellable out of the treatment area along a circular arc path by a swivelling mechanism or movable out of the treatment area along a straight line and a circular arc path, and - the swivelling mechanism being actuatable by a motor and provided with a force limiting device. - designed for surgery on the cornea, the sclera, the vitreous body or the crystalline lens, especially for use alternately with other instruments for eye diagnosis or eye therapy, with the treatment area in which the patient or the eye is positioned having to be accessible to other instruments in succession, comprising: - a beam conducting device with an exit lens system for the therapeutic laser beam, - a device for moving at least part of the beam conducting device, including the exit lens system, into the treatment area at the beginning and for moving it out of the treatment area after the use of the laser therapy instrument, so that - the treatment area, after the part of the beam conducting device including the exit lens system has been moved out of it, is freely accessible for using the other instruments, - in which the part of the beam conducting device that is movable out is designed as a laser arm, wherein - the exit lens system provided on the laser arm is, proceeding from its working position at the eye, either swivellable out of the treatment area along a circular arc path by a swivelling mechanism or movable out of the treatment area along a straight line and a circular arc path, and - the swivelling mechanism being actuatable by a motor and provided with a force limiting device. - a beam conducting device with an exit lens system for the therapeutic laser beam, - a device for moving at least part of the beam conducting device, including the exit lens system, into the treatment area at the beginning and for moving it out of the treatment area after the use of the laser therapy instrument, so that - the treatment area, after the part of the beam conducting device including the exit lens system has been moved out of it, is freely accessible for using the other instruments, - in which the part of the beam conducting device that is movable out is designed as a laser arm, wherein - the exit lens system provided on the laser arm is, proceeding from its working position at the eye, either swivellable out of the treatment area along a circular arc path by a swivelling mechanism or movable out of the treatment area along a straight line and a circular arc path, and - the swivelling mechanism being actuatable by a motor and provided with a force limiting device.