1. A method for diagnosing a keratoconic cornea in an eye of a patient which comprises the steps of: providing an electronic model of a cornea, wherein the model includes a plurality of elements, and wherein each element in the model is defined by a plurality of parameters, with each parameter being representative of tissue qualities in the cornea at the corresponding location of the element in the model; mapping a topography of the anterior surface of the cornea “T a ”; fitting the topography “T a ” to the model to obtain a set of parameters for the plurality of elements; and evaluating the set of parameters to diagnose whether the cornea is keratoconic.