A capsulotomy device for accessing a lens capsule through a cornea of an eye, the device comprising: a handpiece having a tip for insertion into an incision in the cornea of the eye; a sliding element slidably disposed for translation within the handpiece; a suction cup mounted to the sliding element for movement into and out of the handpiece; a compression mechanism associated with the suction cup and the handpiece to compress the suction cup for deployment through the tip of the handpiece into an anterior chamber of the eye, the suction cup configured to expand inside the anterior chamber into a cutting position on the lens capsule; and a cutting element mounted to the suction cup for cutting a portion of the lens capsule, wherein the cutting element is an electrode, and further comprising one or more electrical elements for delivering current to an electrical lead connected to the electrode to heat the electrode for excising the portion of the lens capsule; and wherein the electrode is mounted around an underside of the suction cup and further comprises a continuous element along which current can travel in two opposite directions for conducting current uniformly around the portion of the tissue to be severed, characterised in that the electrode comprises an upper ring that connects to the electrical lead and a lower ring that connects to the upper ring at two locations on opposite sides of the lower ring, and wherein current can travel from the upper ring to the lower ring via one of the locations and then travel around both sides of the lower ring to the location on the opposite side of the lower ring to evenly distribute the current around the lower ring that can be contacted with the lens capsule. a handpiece having a tip for insertion into an incision in the cornea of the eye; a sliding element slidably disposed for translation within the handpiece; a suction cup mounted to the sliding element for movement into and out of the handpiece; a compression mechanism associated with the suction cup and the handpiece to compress the suction cup for deployment through the tip of the handpiece into an anterior chamber of the eye, the suction cup configured to expand inside the anterior chamber into a cutting position on the lens capsule; and a cutting element mounted to the suction cup for cutting a portion of the lens capsule, wherein the cutting element is an electrode, and further comprising one or more electrical elements for delivering current to an electrical lead connected to the electrode to heat the electrode for excising the portion of the lens capsule; and wherein the electrode is mounted around an underside of the suction cup and further comprises a continuous element along which current can travel in two opposite directions for conducting current uniformly around the portion of the tissue to be severed, characterised in that the electrode comprises an upper ring that connects to the electrical lead and a lower ring that connects to the upper ring at two locations on opposite sides of the lower ring, and wherein current can travel from the upper ring to the lower ring via one of the locations and then travel around both sides of the lower ring to the location on the opposite side of the lower ring to evenly distribute the current around the lower ring that can be contacted with the lens capsule.