According to an exemplary embodiment, a device (12) for assisting in the preparation of an operation on the human eye (14) for the purpose of generating a corneal flap by means of a microkeratome system (10) includes: an input interface arrangement (50) that permits at least the input of data relating to a set value of at least one flap parameter and also to at least one patient-related parameter; a computer (46) that has been set up to access a stored data collection (44) of several surgical data records, each of which includes a post-operative actual value of at least one flap parameter, a value for at least one patient-related parameter and configuration data of the microkeratome system, the computer (46) having been set up to ascertain, on the basis of the data collection (44) in a manner depending on the input data, configuration information that represents a proposed configuration of the microkeratome system (10); an output interface arrangement (48) for outputting the configuration information.