Method for operating a light grille (100, 200) with a protection field which is limited by a first transmitter/receiver strip and a second transmitter/receiver strip, wherein the first transmitter/receiver strip and the second transmitter/receiver strip have transmitter and receiver units in at least two first groups with at least one transmitter unit (S1, S1', S2, S2', S3, S3') and in at least two second groups with at least one receiver unit (E1, E1', E2, E2', E3, E3'), wherein the groups are arranged adjacent to one another and alternating in a row, and with at least one electronic control and evaluation unit, wherein furthermore the first transmitter/receiver strip and the second transmitter/receiver strip are spatially arranged such that lying opposite a transmitter unit (S1, S2, S3) of the first transmitter/receiver strip is a receiver unit (E3', E2', E1') of the second transmitter/receiver strip, which forms a pair with it, and lying opposite a receiver unit (E1, E2, E3) of the first transmitter/receiver strip in each case is a transmitter unit (S3', S2', S1') of the second transmitter/receiver strip, which forms a pair with it, with the steps: - execution of a scan on the first transmitter/receiver strip through sequential activation of the transmitter (S1, S2, S3) and receiver units (E1, E2, E3) arranged on the first transmitter/receiver strip by at least one electronic control and evaluation unit and - execution of a scan on the second transmitter/receiver strip through sequential activation of the transmitter (S1', S2', S3') and receiver units (E1', E2', E3') arranged on the second transmitter/receiver strip by at least one electronic control and evaluation unit, wherein the scan on the first transmitter/receiver strip and the scan on the second transmitter/receiver strip are synchronised with one another such that for each pair, the transmitter unit and the receiver unit are activated at the same time at at least one point in time and - evaluation of data obtained from the scan characterised in that the scan on the first transmitter/receiver strip and the scan on the second transmitter/receiver strip are respectively carried out such that on the transmitter/receiver strips (102, 103) in each case a first direction is specified, in which consecutive transmitter units (S1, S2, S3, S1', S2', S3') on the first transmitter/receiver strip and the second transmitter/receiver strip are respectively activated one after another, wherein the groups with at least one receiver unit (E1, E2, E3) lying in between them are skipped and that consecutive receiver units (E3, E2, E1, E3', E2', E1') on the first transmitter/receiver strip and the second transmitter/receiver strip are respectively activated one after another in the opposite second direction, wherein the groups with at least one transmitter unit (S1, S2, S3, S1', S2', S3') lying in between them are skipped. - execution of a scan on the first transmitter/receiver strip through sequential activation of the transmitter (S1, S2, S3) and receiver units (E1, E2, E3) arranged on the first transmitter/receiver strip by at least one electronic control and evaluation unit and - execution of a scan on the second transmitter/receiver strip through sequential activation of the transmitter (S1', S2', S3') and receiver units (E1', E2', E3') arranged on the second transmitter/receiver strip by at least one electronic control and evaluation unit, wherein the scan on the first transmitter/receiver strip and the scan on the second transmitter/receiver strip are synchronised with one another such that for each pair, the transmitter unit and the receiver unit are activated at the same time at at least one point in time and - evaluation of data obtained from the scan characterised in that