The corneal wound healing response following refractive procedures represents a subject of high relevance, due to its direct influence on the postoperative results. Technical modifications of current refractive procedures, like the automated flap creation with the femtosecond laser, LASEK, PRK with mitomycin C and Epi-LASIK have been proposed as alternatives to traditional LASIK and PRK. Several theoretical advantages have encouraged the diffusion of these new techniques; however, a better understanding of the corneal wound healing response following these procedures is required. The present text proposes a review of the corneal wound healing characteristics following different modalities of refractive surgical procedures.