PURPOSE: To obtain a liquid crystal lens which has good transparency and optical characteristics by setting the electrode lead-out positions of transparent electrodes almost at 90° to each other about the center of the liquid crystal lens.

CONSTITUTION: The liquid crystal lens 20 is constituted by charging liquid crystal 27 in a lens-shaped space of formed of a transparent substrate 21 of Fresnel structure having a transparent conductive film 23, a transparent substrate 22 of Fresnel structure with a transparent conductive film 24, and a spacer 25 made of an insulating body. The transparent electrodes 23 and 24 have electrode lead-out positions at 31 and 32 which is rotated by 90° from 31. An AC voltage is applied to the liquid crystal 27 from an AC power source 30 through a variable resistance 29 to control the direction of the director of the liquid crystal 27 according to the voltage and varies the apparent refractive index of the liquid crystal lens 20, whose refracting power is variable.