A method of cooling an optical fiber while it is being drawn through contact with at least one cooling fluid in at least one cooling area, wherein said method is such that fast cooling, i.e. cooling that is faster than cooling in the surrounding air, is followed by slow cooling, i.e. cooling slower than cooling in the surrounding air, the temperature of the fiber in an intermediate area between the two cooling areas lying in the range 1200° C. to 1700° C. in the case of silica glass fibers.