Laser eye surgery. Artwork showing how laser eye surgery is performed. An incision is made into the cornea (light blue),the clear dome-shaped surface that covers the front of the eye, and a portion of it is folded back. A laser (pink) is then used to reshape the remaining cornea, before the flap is replaced. This procedure can be used to treat nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism (an unspherical cornea). For a labelled version of this image see C007/4899.