An apparatus for laser eye surgery comprises a laser module (12), which is equipped to emit pulsed, focused laser radiation of a variable pulse repetition rate, and a processor-based control unit (18), which is equipped to receive at least one user input pertaining to a selection of one of several predefined pulse repetition rates over a user input and to control the laser module in accordance with the at least one selected pulse repetition rate. In certain specific embodiments, the user interface enables input of two user entries, each of which relates to a selection of one of several predefined pulse repetition rates. The control unit controls the laser module for a first phase of a laser treatment in accordance with one of the two user inputs, and for a second phase of the laser treatment, it controls the laser module in accordance with the other one of the two user inputs. For example, such specific embodiments permit an epithelial tissue ablation to be performed at a different pulse repetition rate than a stromal tissue ablation as part of a transepithelial keratectomy on a human eye.