A surgical microscope (1) for ophthalmology includes a tube unit (5) which permits viewing an area (7) of surgery, especially a forward section of the eye, through a microscope main objective (2). The surgical microscope (1) includes an illuminating system (10) which makes available the illuminating light to illuminate the surgical area (7), especially the forward section of the eye. To provide daylight-like illuminating light, the illuminating system includes a xenon illuminating light source (11) or a metal halide illuminating light source. At least one interference filter (22, 23) is provided in the illuminating beam path (16). The cutoff frequency of the interference filter lies such that illuminating light in the ultraviolet range is filtered out and illuminating light in the visible wavelength range is attenuated, if at all, to an insignificant extent in order to reduce the phototoxicity of the illuminating light for the human eye.