Anterior lamellar keratoplasty is a surgical procedure in which a maximum of diseased corneal stroma is replaced by donor tissue. Commonly, the anterior stroma is incised with a trephine that can be set to a depth not exceeding the corneal thickness, and several stromal layers may be dissected until the desired depth of the recipient bed is obtained. Lamellar dissections, for example in lamellar keratoplasty, are generally made by removing stromal tissue ‘layer for layer’, while the depth of the dissection is judged by the changing tissue structure with deeper stromal beds. Compared to a penetrating keratoplasty, a lamellar procedure has the advantage of avoiding most complications associated with ‘open sky’ surgery, easier postoperative management, and less risk of allograft rejection and other long-term complications.