Method for directly correcting an image that is based on an examination of a target using an examination beam of an optical coherence tomography (OCT) device, - wherein an image of a structure of the target is used or image data of an image of the structure of the target are used, for the creation of which an optical path length travelled from a source of the examination beam to the structure of the target and/or from the structure of the target to an analysis device is evaluated, - wherein the optical path length of the examination beam to and/or from the target changes discretely or continuously in the course of the creation of the image of the structure of the target , - and the change in optical path length (OPD) of the examination beam to and/or from the target is known or is measured, and - the known or measured change is used to set an adjustable correction element or else to directly correct the image or the image data of the image, in such a way that the influence of the change in optical path length (OPD) of the examination beam to and/or from the target on the image is compensated for, - wherein the examination beam is freely guided through a system that can be varied in terms of its internal positional relationship of its components, the optical path length of the examination beam changes during the change in positional relationship of the system, and a resulting shearing of the image is corrected for on the basis of the change in optical path length (OPD), and - in particular an image created using a "Time-Domain" (TD)-OCT or "Swept Source" (SS) -OCT method is used or image data of such an image are used, in which a displacement of the image is directly corrected on the basis of the rate of change of the optical path length (dOPD/dt). - wherein an image of a structure of the target is used or image data of an image of the structure of the target are used, for the creation of which an optical path length travelled from a source of the examination beam to the structure of the target and/or from the structure of the target to an analysis device is evaluated, - wherein the optical path length of the examination beam to and/or from the target changes discretely or continuously in the course of the creation of the image of the structure of the target , - and the change in optical path length (OPD) of the examination beam to and/or from the target is known or is measured, and - the known or measured change is used to set an adjustable correction element or else to directly correct the image or the image data of the image, in such a way that the influence of the change in optical path length (OPD) of the examination beam to and/or from the target on the image is compensated for, - wherein the examination beam is freely guided through a system that can be varied in terms of its internal positional relationship of its components, the optical path length of the examination beam changes during the change in positional relationship of the system, and a resulting shearing of the image is corrected for on the basis of the change in optical path length (OPD), and - in particular an image created using a "Time-Domain" (TD)-OCT or "Swept Source" (SS) -OCT method is used or image data of such an image are used, in which a displacement of the image is directly corrected on the basis of the rate of change of the optical path length (dOPD/dt). <EOS>