A process, and to a corresponding apparatus for reading out and erasing X-ray information stored in storage phosphor layers, comprising the following: irradiating the storage phosphor layer (1) with stimulation light (3) by means of which the storage phosphor layer (1) is stimulated to emit emission light, collecting the emission light emitted at different locations (x, y) of the storage phosphor layer (1) with a detector (7), detector signal values (D(x, y)) being obtained for different locations (x, y) of the storage phosphor layer (1), and irradiating the storage phosphor layer (1) with erasing light (21), the quantity of erasing light (21) being determined by means of the detector signal values (D(x, y)). When determining the quantity of erasing light (21), which is on the one hand sufficiently great in order to guarantee total erasure of the storage phosphor layer (1), and on the other hand is as low as possible, in order to avoid an unnecessarily high degree of heat development and to guarantee a high throughput, detector signal values (D(x, y)) obtained for different locations (x, y) in a first and second dimension (x or y) of the storage phosphor layer (1) are compared with comparison signal values (H(x), H′(x)) specified for different locations (x) in just one dimension (x) of the storage phosphor layer (1).