Optical position measurement device for determining the position of a first object that is movable in relation to a second object along a measurement direction (x), having - a material measure, which is connected to the first object, with a reflective measurement graduation (11; 111; 211; 311; 411; 511; 611) which extends along the measurement direction (x) and has graduation regions (11.1, 11.2; 111.1, 111.2; 211.1, 211.2; 311.1, 311.2; 411.1, 411.2; 511.1, 511.2; 611.1, 611.2) with different reflectivities, and - a sampling unit, which is connected to the second object and is arranged at a sampling distance (Z A) from the material measure, having - at least one light source, and - a detector arrangement (22; 122; 222; 322; 422) comprising a multiplicity of optoelectronic detector elements (122.i; 222.i; 322.i; 422.i) which are arranged periodically along the measurement direction (x), and also - a signal processing unit, which is assigned to the sampling unit and is designed and configured - to generate from the photocurrents (I i) generated via the detector elements (122.i; 222.i; 322.i; 422.i) position signals (S P) with respect to the position of the first object in relation to the second object and - to ascertain a total photocurrent (I ges,MB, I ges,RB) in a detector central region and in at least one detector peripheral region and to determine the sampling distance (Z A) from the formed photocurrent ratio (V I) of the total photocurrents (I ges,MB, I ges,RB) in the detector central region and in the detector peripheral region. - a material measure, which is connected to the first object, with a reflective measurement graduation (11; 111; 211; 311; 411; 511; 611) which extends along the measurement direction (x) and has graduation regions (11.1, 11.2; 111.1, 111.2; 211.1, 211.2; 311.1, 311.2; 411.1, 411.2; 511.1, 511.2; 611.1, 611.2) with different reflectivities, and - a sampling unit, which is connected to the second object and is arranged at a sampling distance (Z A) from the material measure, having - at least one light source, and - a detector arrangement (22; 122; 222; 322; 422) comprising a multiplicity of optoelectronic detector elements (122.i; 222.i; 322.i; 422.i) which are arranged periodically along the measurement direction (x), and also - a signal processing unit, which is assigned to the sampling unit and is designed and configured - to generate from the photocurrents (I i) generated via the detector elements (122.i; 222.i; 322.i; 422.i) position signals (S P) with respect to the position of the first object in relation to the second object and - to ascertain a total photocurrent (I ges,MB, I ges,RB) in a detector central region and in at least one detector peripheral region and to determine the sampling distance (Z A) from the formed photocurrent ratio (V I) of the total photocurrents (I ges,MB, I ges,RB) in the detector central region and in the detector peripheral region. - to generate from the photocurrents (I i) generated via the detector elements (122.i; 222.i; 322.i; 422.i) position signals (S P) with respect to the position of the first object in relation to the second object and - to ascertain a total photocurrent (I ges,MB, I ges,RB) in a detector central region and in at least one detector peripheral region and to determine the sampling distance (Z A) from the formed photocurrent ratio (V I) of the total photocurrents (I ges,MB, I ges,RB) in the detector central region and in the detector peripheral region.