An optical recording and reproducing apparatus which suppresses the generation of a noise component in a servo signal while preventing a deterioration in using efficiency of a light beam is provided. The optical recording and reproducing apparatus has an optical pickup including a liquid crystal correcting element, a liquid crystal element control unit, a memory, and an operation mode control unit. The memory stores a plurality of correction data sets respectively corresponding to a plurality of refractive index distribution to be formed by the liquid crystal correcting element. The liquid crystal element control unit selectively reads out the correction data set corresponding to the operation mode designated by the operation mode control unit from the memory and supplies a driving voltage according to the read-out correction data set to the liquid crystal correcting element.