Method for controlling a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, comprising a projection lens and at least one optical manipulator (136, 236, 336) arranged in a beam path of the projection lens, which optical manipulator has a multiplicity of zones (146, 246, 346), distributed over a cross section of the beam path, with an individually adjustable optical effect in the beam path, comprising the following steps: - determining a wavefront error in an image field of the projection exposure apparatus; - generating a travel vector, suitable for correcting the wavefront error, with travels for each zone (146, 246, 346) of the optical manipulator (136, 236, 336) by means of a travel-generating optimization algorithm on the basis of the determined wavefront error; - establishing a constraint parameter in respect of the travel for at least one zone of the optical manipulator; - checking the travels of the generated travel vector in respect of implementability taking into account the established constraint parameter and implementing the following steps if there is a constraint in the implementability: obtaining a correction value vector with correction values for a plurality of the zones of the optical manipulator on the basis of the constraint parameter and the generated travel vector, establishing a corrected travel vector by correcting the travels of the generated travel vector on the basis of the corresponding correction values of the correction value vector, and adjusting the optical effect of all zones (146, 246, 346) of the optical manipulator with the aid of the corrected travel vector for compensating the wavefront error. - determining a wavefront error in an image field of the projection exposure apparatus; - generating a travel vector, suitable for correcting the wavefront error, with travels for each zone (146, 246, 346) of the optical manipulator (136, 236, 336) by means of a travel-generating optimization algorithm on the basis of the determined wavefront error; - establishing a constraint parameter in respect of the travel for at least one zone of the optical manipulator; - checking the travels of the generated travel vector in respect of implementability taking into account the established constraint parameter and implementing the following steps if there is a constraint in the implementability: obtaining a correction value vector with correction values for a plurality of the zones of the optical manipulator on the basis of the constraint parameter and the generated travel vector, establishing a corrected travel vector by correcting the travels of the generated travel vector on the basis of the corresponding correction values of the correction value vector, and adjusting the optical effect of all zones (146, 246, 346) of the optical manipulator with the aid of the corrected travel vector for compensating the wavefront error. obtaining a correction value vector with correction values for a plurality of the zones of the optical manipulator on the basis of the constraint parameter and the generated travel vector, establishing a corrected travel vector by correcting the travels of the generated travel vector on the basis of the corresponding correction values of the correction value vector, and adjusting the optical effect of all zones (146, 246, 346) of the optical manipulator with the aid of the corrected travel vector for compensating the wavefront error.