Presbyopia surgery in Medellín
Yes, presbyopia can be treated with surgery in Colombia: with laser or with a trifocal intraocular lens
Presbyopia is the age-related loss of near vision that appears from around 40 to 45, when the natural lens can no longer focus up close. Today it is corrected with laser (LASIK monovision or intracorneal laser) or by replacing the natural lens with a trifocal lens. MDE Care is not a clinic: we arrange your assessment with the ophthalmologist, the surgery and your follow-up visits, with a clear price from the first message.
With laser
from COP 6,000,000
the procedure
Trifocal lens
from COP 10,000,000
per eye
Read without glasses
laser or trifocal lens
Which presbyopia technique fits your case?
Answer six questions and we will tell you which option is usually discussed first at the assessment. It is guidance, not a diagnosis.
1. How old are you?
2. Do you also wear glasses for distance?
3. Have you been told you have a cataract, or is your vision cloudy?
4. Do you drive a lot at night?
5. How much would halos around lights at night bother you?
6. What do you want from surgery?
Your guidance
Laser (monovision) may be an option
With no cataract, no farsightedness and being fine with glasses now and then, laser is usually the first option assessed. It keeps your natural lens; monovision sets one eye for distance and the other for near.
Why
- You are between 40 and 50
- You have not been told you have a cataract
- You see well at distance
- You are fine wearing glasses now and then
Monovision takes some adjustment: the brain learns to use each eye depending on the distance.
* Guidance only, not a diagnosis. Whether you are a candidate and which technique suits you can only be decided by the ophthalmologist at the assessment, with your tests.
How much presbyopia surgery costs in Medellín
Choose the technique and, if it is a lens, how many eyes. We show you a guide price in pesos or in dollars, with what it usually includes and what makes it go up or down.
Your technique
Laser for presbyopia
Corrects near vision by working on the cornea, with LASIK monovision or intracorneal laser (INTRACOR). Your natural lens is kept.
What it usually includes
- Surgeon fees
- Use of the laser and the operating room
- Post-operative follow-up visits
What changes the price
- The technique: monovision or intracorneal laser
- Whether your distance prescription also needs correcting
- The clinic and the laser technology
1. Which technique are you interested in?
If you are not sure, use the guide above and come back with the suggested technique.
2. One eye or both?
With laser the price covers the whole procedure, it is not charged per eye.
3. Add the pre-surgical assessment?
Guide price
COP 6,000,000to COP 10,000,000
Laser for presbyopia · whole procedure
Pre-surgical assessment
COP 400,000
Not added to the total. Tick it if you have not been assessed yet.
Guide price, confirmed at the assessment.
* Guide prices, confirmed at the assessment. Dollar amounts are a reference conversion at 1 USD = COP 4,000 and may change with the exchange rate of the day. The final price is set by the surgeon after reviewing your tests and choosing the technique.
What presbyopia is
Presbyopia, or age-related farsightedness, is the loss of the natural lens’s ability to focus up close. It starts to show between 40 and 45 and is the most common vision condition after 45.
It is not a disease and it is not caused by anything you did: it is a natural change of the eye with age. That is why it also affects people who never wore glasses, and it adds to the nearsightedness or farsightedness of those who already did.
Reading glasses compensate for it. Surgery is the option for people who want to stop depending on them.
Typical signs of presbyopia
- You hold your phone farther away to readSmall print looks better at arm’s length.
- You need more light to readIn low light the text turns blurry.
- You take off or lift your glasses to see up closeIf you already wore distance glasses, they now get in the way for reading.
- Eye strain when reading or sewingDiscomfort after a while of close-up work.
Yes, presbyopia can be treated with surgery: three techniques available in Medellín
Two work on the cornea and keep your natural lens. The third replaces it with an intraocular lens. Which one suits you depends on your age, your prescription and the condition of your natural lens.
LASIK monovision
The laser sets one eye to see at distance and the other to see up close. The brain learns to use each one depending on the distance. It takes a period of adjustment.
Laser · keeps the natural lens
INTRACOR
A femtosecond laser that works inside the cornea, without creating a flap. It reshapes the cornea to improve near vision.
Intracorneal laser · no flap
Refractive lens exchange with a trifocal lens
The natural lens is removed and a trifocal intraocular lens is placed, which focuses at distance, intermediate range and near. It also corrects your distance prescription at the same time.
Intraocular lens · replaces the natural lens
Who is a candidate for presbyopia surgery
Candidacy is decided by the ophthalmologist at the assessment, with tests of your cornea and your natural lens. These are the points that are checked:
- You have presbyopia and want to reduce or stop using reading glasses.
- For laser: a cornea of adequate thickness and a clear natural lens.
- For a trifocal lens: the condition of the natural lens and your distance prescription are assessed, for example farsightedness.
- Clear expectations about what each technique changes and what it does not.
If your case is different
How presbyopia surgery is done
1. Pre-surgical assessment
Tests of the cornea, the natural lens and your prescription. With them the ophthalmologist confirms whether you are a candidate and which technique suits you.
2. Surgery day
It is an outpatient procedure: you arrive and leave the same day. The eye is numbed with anaesthetic drops.
3. The procedure
It takes 15 to 30 minutes per eye. With laser the work is done on the cornea; in a refractive lens exchange the natural lens is removed and the trifocal lens is placed.
4. Recovery and follow-up
Visual recovery takes 24 to 48 hours. Later follow-up visits can be remote when the specialist considers it safe.
What changes and what does not after surgery
What changes
- You can read your phone, a menu or a label without reaching for your glasses.
- With a trifocal lens your distance prescription is also corrected in the same surgery.
- Visual recovery is quick: 24 to 48 hours.
What does not change or takes adjustment
- Monovision takes adjustment: the brain needs time to get used to each eye seeing at a different distance.
- Some patients notice halos around lights at night. It is discussed at the assessment, especially if you drive a lot at night.
- With laser your natural lens is kept and it keeps changing over the years.
Practical information
| Duration | 15 to 30 minutes per eye |
|---|---|
| Type of surgery | Outpatient, you leave the same day |
| Anaesthesia | Anaesthetic eye drops |
| Visual recovery | 24 to 48 hours |
| Follow-up | Can be remote when the specialist considers it safe |
| Guide price | Laser COP 6,000,000 to COP 10,000,000; trifocal lens COP 10,000,000 to COP 18,000,000 per eye |
Why arrange your presbyopia surgery with MDE Care
We are not a clinic: we are your coordination team. We connect you with ophthalmologists and clinics in Medellín, with a clear price from the first message.
We explain both routes
Laser or trifocal lens: we tell you what changes with each before the assessment, so you arrive with your questions clear.
Clear price in pesos or dollars
A guide range from the first message and the final quote after the assessment, with no surprises.
Coordination from start to finish
Assessment, surgery, follow-up and, if you travel, the logistics of your stay in Medellín, in English or in Spanish.
Organizations that endorse our work
How we arrange your presbyopia surgery in Medellín
A process with support at every stage, from your first message to your last follow-up visit.
Tell us about your case
Message us on WhatsApp with your age, your prescription and what you are looking for. We give you a price range.
We book your assessment
We arrange the appointment with the ophthalmologist and the pre-surgical tests on a date that works for you.
Technique and final price
With your tests, the surgeon chooses the technique and we send you the final quote.
Your surgery
Outpatient surgery of 15 to 30 minutes per eye. We support you before and after.
Follow-up
In person or remote when the specialist considers it safe.
Everything about presbyopia surgery in Medellín
How much does presbyopia surgery cost in Colombia?+
In Medellín, laser presbyopia surgery (monovision LASIK or INTRACOR) costs between COP 6,000,000 and 10,000,000 for the procedure, about USD 1,500 to 2,500. Refractive lens exchange with a trifocal lens costs between COP 10,000,000 and 18,000,000 per eye; both eyes, between COP 20,000,000 and 36,000,000. The pre-surgical assessment with tests is around COP 400,000. These are guide prices confirmed at the assessment.
Can presbyopia be operated on in Colombia?+
Yes. In Colombia, and in Medellín in particular, presbyopia is treated with laser (monovision LASIK or INTRACOR, a flap-free intracorneal femtosecond laser) or with refractive lens exchange, which replaces the natural lens with a trifocal intraocular lens. The ophthalmologist decides at the assessment whether you are a candidate and which technique fits.
Can presbyopia be cured?+
Presbyopia is a natural age-related change of the eye's lens, so it cannot be cured in the sense of stopping that process. What can be done is to correct it: with laser it is compensated on the cornea and the natural lens is kept; with a trifocal lens the natural lens is replaced by one that focuses at several distances.
What is the best technique for presbyopia surgery?+
There is no single best technique: it depends on your age, your distance prescription, the state of your lens and how much you want to depend on glasses. Laser keeps your natural lens; monovision requires adaptation. A trifocal lens also corrects the distance prescription and some patients notice halos at night, something discussed at the assessment.
At what age is presbyopia surgery done?+
Presbyopia starts to show between 40 and 45 and is the most common vision condition after 45. There is no single age for surgery: the assessment defines the timing and the technique. In general, laser is discussed more for people without cataract who keep a clear lens, and the trifocal lens when the person is older, has hyperopia or wants to stop depending on glasses.
What if I have hyperopia and presbyopia?+
It is a common combination, because both make near vision harder. Refractive lens exchange with a trifocal lens corrects both in the same surgery: the distance prescription and near vision. Laser can also treat hyperopia, up to +4 to +5. The assessment defines which one fits.
How long is recovery after presbyopia surgery?+
Surgery takes 15 to 30 minutes per eye, it is outpatient and visual recovery takes 24 to 48 hours. With monovision, the brain also needs an adaptation period. Later follow-ups can be done remotely when the specialist considers it safe.
Are both eyes operated on?+
It depends on the technique. In monovision LASIK the treatment is planned across both eyes: one is set for distance and the other for near. With a trifocal lens one or both eyes can be operated on, and the price is per eye; the surgeon decides whether they are done the same day or on different days.
Do you already have your prescription or eye tests?
Send them to us and we will tell you which technique is usually assessed and the price range for your case.
Other ophthalmology procedures
Read again without glasses
Tell us your age, your prescription and what you are looking for. We arrange your assessment, your presbyopia surgery in Medellín and your follow-up visits, with a clear price from the start.