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. <EOS>