The microkeratome is very gently set into place on the front part of the eye, by suction. It is used to cut out flaps of corneal tissue of the required size, shape, and thickness with great precision. It acts like a precision blade with which a lamella of ca. 8.5 mm in diameter and 0.14 mm thickness is cut out of the upper layer of the cornea, in preparation for the subsequent laser treatment.

Besides the femtosecond laser, we use, in the VEDIS eye centers, two different types of microkeratome, both of the latest generation. Depending on the anatomical conditions and individual requirements for corneal ablation (type and extent of refraction error) the surgeon decides which instrument to use.