To provide an image reader which is capable of efficiently reading a fluorescent image at a high signal-to-noise ratio by detecting the fluorescence remaining.

This image reader has a laser exciting light source 1 which emits a laser beam 4, an image carrying member 22, a scanning mechanism which scans the surface of the image carrying member 22 by the laser beam 4 and excites the image carrying member 22 by the laser beam 4, a photodetector 30 which photoelectrically detects the light emitted from the image carrying member 22 and an optical head 15 which introduces the laser beam 4 to the image carrying member 22, irradiates the image carrying member 22 with the laser beam 4 and introduces the light 25 emitted from the image carrying member 22 to the photodetector 30. The optical head 15 is constituted to introduce the light, which is emitted from a point 36 of the image carrying member 22 existing nearer the upstream side with respect the scanning direction of the laser beam 4 than a point 35 where the image carrying member 22 is irradiated with the laser beam 4, to the photodetector 30.