A method for measuring a biomechanical characteristic of corneal tissue of a cornea comprises the steps of measuring a geometric parameter of the cornea, measuring hysteresis associated with deformation of the cornea, and evaluating the measured geometric parameter and hysteresis. In an ophthalmic system for practicing the method, a pachometer is used to measure corneal thickness and a tonometer is used to measure hysteresis, and the measurement data is supplied to a computer for evaluation. A related method for prequalifying LASIK patients comprises the steps of establishing a multi-dimensional space wherein a first dimension is a geometric corneal parameter and a second dimension is hysteresis associated with corneal deformation, measuring the geometric corneal parameter and hysteresis of the patient's cornea, registering the geometric corneal parameter and corneal hysteresis in a data point in the multi-dimensional space, and evaluating a location of the data point in the multi-dimensional space.