An optical beam scanning system for incising target tissue in a patient's eye includes a laser source configured to deliver a laser beam to produce optical breakdown and initiate a plasma-mediated process; an OCT imaging device used to create an image of eye tissue that includes the cornea; a delivery system for delivering the laser beam to the target tissue to form a cataract incision; a scanner operable to scan the focal spot of the laser beam to different locations within the patient's eye; and a controller operatively coupled to the laser source, the imaging device, and the scanner. The OCT device is configured to scan the eye tissue to generate imaging data used to define an incision pattern configured to incise one or more relaxation incisions into the cornea, so that the one or more relaxation incisions are formed starting from the inside and proceeding outward.