PURPOSE: To prevent the generation of smear and to improve the accuracy of visual line detection by controlling a light shielding means to close an optical path when an image pickup element makes a charge read processing so as to avoid the image pickup element from receiving the light.

CONSTITUTION: A light source 6 is extinguished by a signal from a control circuit 3 and a liquid crystal shutter 14. Simultaneously a signal is sent from a solid-state image pickup element driving circuit 2 to a solid-state image pickup element 1 to implement the charge read processing. When the read of the charge is finished, the control circuit 3 lights the light source 6 and a liquid crystal shutter 14 reaches a light transmission enable state to allow the light receiving section of the solid-state image pickup element 1 to form an image. That is, in this case, while the charge stored in the solid-state image pickup element 1 is being transferred, since the optical path of the light made incident on the solid-state image pickup element 1 is closed by the liquid crystal shutter 14, no light strikes on the light receiving section of the solid-state image pickup element 1 during the read processing of the picked-up charge and the generation of the smear is prevented.