diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 7043d835d..5edac25b3 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ Bugs fixed
   immediately preceding section title by pagebreak
 * #6448: autodoc: crashed when autodocumenting classes with ``__slots__ = None``
 * #6452: autosummary: crashed when generating document of properties
+* #6451: autodoc: generates docs for "optional import"ed modules as variables
 
 Testing
 --------
diff --git a/sphinx/pycode/parser.py b/sphinx/pycode/parser.py
index f9489e91a..1746537bb 100644
--- a/sphinx/pycode/parser.py
+++ b/sphinx/pycode/parser.py
@@ -357,6 +357,17 @@ class VariableCommentPicker(ast.NodeVisitor):
             except TypeError:
                 pass  # this assignment is not new definition!
 
+    def visit_Try(self, node):
+        # type: (ast.Try) -> None
+        """Handles Try node and processes body and else-clause.
+
+        .. note:: pycode parser ignores objects definition in except-clause.
+        """
+        for subnode in node.body:
+            self.visit(subnode)
+        for subnode in node.orelse:
+            self.visit(subnode)
+
     def visit_ClassDef(self, node):
         # type: (ast.ClassDef) -> None
         """Handles ClassDef node and set context."""
diff --git a/tests/test_pycode_parser.py b/tests/test_pycode_parser.py
index ba9778b80..8f8c6cbab 100644
--- a/tests/test_pycode_parser.py
+++ b/tests/test_pycode_parser.py
@@ -149,6 +149,21 @@ def test_complex_assignment_py3():
     assert parser.definitions == {}
 
 
+def test_assignment_in_try_clause():
+    source = ('try:\n'
+              '    a = None  #: comment\n'
+              'except:\n'
+              '    b = None  #: ignored\n'
+              'else:\n'
+              '    c = None  #: comment\n')
+    parser = Parser(source)
+    parser.parse()
+    assert parser.comments == {('', 'a'): 'comment',
+                               ('', 'c'): 'comment'}
+    assert parser.deforders == {'a': 0,
+                                'c': 1}
+
+
 def test_obj_assignment():
     source = ('obj = SomeObject()  #: some object\n'
               'obj.attr = 1  #: attr1\n'