Refractive optical component comprising 1.1 a main body produced in a 3D printing process, 1.1.1. which has a front side and a back side and a principal axis perpendicular to the front side and/or back side, and 1.1.2. which has a plurality m of optical layers (5 i) (i=1..m) extending between the front side and the back side and each having a thickness (d i) in the range from 1 μm to 100 μm in a direction parallel to the principal axis, 1.2. wherein the layers (5 i) are applied one on top of the other, 1.3. wherein the number m of optical layers (5 i) is constant over the extent of the optical component transversely to the principal axis, 1.4. wherein each of the layers (5 i) extends over a region common to all the layers (5 i) in directions perpendicular to the principal axis, said common region being greater than the maximum thickness (d i max) of the respective layer (5 i) at least by a factor of 10, 1.5. wherein the thickness (d i) of the layers (5 i) varies over the extent thereof transversely to the principal axis, and 1.6. wherein the main body has a refractive index profile (n = n(x, y, z)), modulated at least in a direction parallel to the principal axis, with 1.6.1. a plurality of maxima and minima, 1.6.2 a distance between adjacent maxima and minima ranging between 0.5 μm and 100 μm and 1.6.3 a refractive index difference Δn between adjacent maxima and minima ranging between 10 -4 and 0.3, and 1.7. wherein a number of maxima in the refractive index profile within a given layer (5 i) in directions transversely to the principal axis is less than 20. 1.1 a main body produced in a 3D printing process, 1.1.1. which has a front side and a back side and a principal axis perpendicular to the front side and/or back side, and 1.1.2. which has a plurality m of optical layers (5 i) (i=1..m) extending between the front side and the back side and each having a thickness (d i) in the range from 1 μm to 100 μm in a direction parallel to the principal axis, 1.1.1. which has a front side and a back side and a principal axis perpendicular to the front side and/or back side, and 1.1.2. which has a plurality m of optical layers (5 i) (i=1..m) extending between the front side and the back side and each having a thickness (d i) in the range from 1 μm to 100 μm in a direction parallel to the principal axis, 1.2. wherein the layers (5 i) are applied one on top of the other, 1.3. wherein the number m of optical layers (5 i) is constant over the extent of the optical component transversely to the principal axis, 1.4. wherein each of the layers (5 i) extends over a region common to all the layers (5 i) in directions perpendicular to the principal axis, said common region being greater than the maximum thickness (d i max) of the respective layer (5 i) at least by a factor of 10, 1.5. wherein the thickness (d i) of the layers (5 i) varies over the extent thereof transversely to the principal axis, and 1.6. wherein the main body has a refractive index profile (n = n(x, y, z)), modulated at least in a direction parallel to the principal axis, with 1.6.1. a plurality of maxima and minima, 1.6.2 a distance between adjacent maxima and minima ranging between 0.5 μm and 100 μm and 1.6.3 a refractive index difference Δn between adjacent maxima and minima ranging between 10 -4 and 0.3, and 1.6.1. a plurality of maxima and minima, 1.6.2 a distance between adjacent maxima and minima ranging between 0.5 μm and 100 μm and 1.6.3 a refractive index difference Δn between adjacent maxima and minima ranging between 10 -4 and 0.3, and 1.7. wherein a number of maxima in the refractive index profile within a given layer (5 i) in directions transversely to the principal axis is less than 20.