The designed lens central thickness measuring optical system is a kind of new system based on chromatic confocal principle, which can fast and automatically measure center thickness of lens without contact of lens surfaces. In order to expand measuring range of device, multiple configuration modes are established to eliminate monochromatic aberrations within each configuration, and enlarge the D-value of image distance to increase the longitudinal chromatic aberration. In this way, the longitudinal chromatic aberration of the system can reach about 30 mm in the wavelength range from 400 nm to 1000 nm. The maximum measurable lens thickness can be more than 30 mm by using this optical system. Measurement of three different lenses whose central thicknesses are 6, 15 and 30 mm is done. The results show that the measuring accuracies for the three lenses are ±2.5, ±3.5 and ±5.0 μm.