The presently employed procedure of radial keratotomy is essentially unchanged from that developed by Fyodorov and introduced into the United States by Bores in 1978. The surgical procedure essentially consists of six basic steps: 1) application of appropriate anesthesia; 2) marking the visual axis; 3) marking the optical zone; 4) measuring the corneal thickness; 5) setting the depth of the blade; and 6) marking the corneal incisions. This review will carefully consider the pros and cons of many potential variations associated with each of these steps.