A shape change is induced in a cornea for treating a keratoconus condition, and/or correcting a refractive error and/or a high order aberration. A beam of laser pulses is focused to a stromal layer of a patients eye, and an intrastromal pocket is ablated. An injection port is cut between the intrastromal pocket and a cornea surface of the eye. A polymerizable fluid is flowed into the intrastromal pocket through the injection port. The fluid is cured to form a polymeric insert, and thereby inducing a cornea shape change.
