Vitrectomy in Medellín
Retina surgery for retinal detachment, macular hole, epiretinal membrane and vitreous hemorrhage
In a vitrectomy the retina surgeon removes the gel that fills the eye, the vitreous, to repair the retina from the inside. It is done with small-incision systems, and at the end gas or silicone oil may be left inside the eye, which changes your recovery and your return date if you are traveling. MDE Care is not a clinic: we arrange your assessment with the retina specialist, the surgery and your stay in Medellín.
Retinal detachment
is an emergency, do not wait
What were you told and what does your recovery involve?
Answer a few questions and we show you how soon it is usually done, what is checked before surgery, what may be left inside the eye and how to plan your stay and your trip home.
1What were you told you need it for?
2Is your central vision still fine?
It is the center of your vision, the part you read and recognize faces with.
3When were you diagnosed?
4Are you coming from another city or country?
Your plan: your stay and flight home
- If gas is left in the eye, you cannot fly or go up to high altitude until it is absorbed and the surgeon clears you.
- Book a return flight with a flexible date: the surgeon clears the date at a follow-up visit.
- Plan your stay in Medellín with some margin. We arrange accommodation and transport to your follow-ups.
- Once you are home, some follow-ups can be done remotely when the specialist considers it safe.
- If silicone oil is left in the eye, a second surgery is usually needed to remove it: factor it into your plan.
Urgent: surgery within days
A retinal detachment is an emergency and yours is recent. Since your central vision is still fine, operating soon aims to protect it. The retina specialist sets the surgery date.
Checked before surgery
- Dilated fundus exam
- Macular OCT
- Confirm the indication and the technique
At the end of surgery
Gas or silicone oil is usually left to hold the retina in place. Depending on the case it may be combined with a scleral buckle. The surgeon decides.
Vitrectomy, guide price per eye
COP 12,000,000to COP 24,000,000
Plus the assessment with the retina specialist and OCT: COP 720,000 to COP 1,000,000.
* Guide prices, confirmed at the assessment. Guide result, not a diagnosis.
How much does a vitrectomy cost in Medellín
Choose your indication, how many eyes and whether to add the assessment with the retina specialist. We show you the guide price in Colombian pesos or US dollars.
First, the assessment
The retina specialist examines the retina with the eye dilated and with OCT, confirms whether vitrectomy is the right option and decides on the technique. If you already have the indication and your test results, they are reviewed before scheduling.
What is included
- Small-incision pars plana vitrectomy
- Gas or silicone oil if the surgeon indicates it
- Follow-up visits after surgery
What changes the price
- How complex the case is
- Whether gas or silicone oil is left in the eye
- Whether it is combined with a scleral buckle
- A second surgery to remove the oil, if oil is left
1. What were you told you need the vitrectomy for?
Retinal detachment: it is an emergency. It may be combined with a scleral buckle and gas or oil is usually left, which changes the price.
2. How many eyes?
3. Optional
Vitrectomy, guide price per eye
COP 12,000,000to COP 24,000,000
Vitrectomy for retinal detachment · one eye
Consultation with the retina specialist and OCT
COP 720,000 to COP 1,000,000
Not added to the total. Tick it in step 3 to include it.
Reference in the United States
USD 8,000 to 15,000 per eye
Only as a savings reference, not an MDE Care price.
* Guide prices, confirmed at the assessment. Guide result, not a diagnosis.
What is a vitrectomy
The eye is filled with a clear gel, the vitreous, which is in contact with the retina. When that gel pulls on the retina, fills with blood or gets in the way of a repair, the retina surgeon removes it. That is a vitrectomy.
The usual technique is pars plana vitrectomy: the surgeon enters the eye through a safe area of its wall using small-incision systems, 23G, 25G or 27G gauge, and repairs from the inside whatever caused the problem.
At the end, the eye is filled with fluid, gas or silicone oil, depending on what the retina needs to stay in place. The surgeon makes that decision, and it is the one that most affects your recovery.
Small incision
23G, 25G and 27G systems: very fine instruments that enter the eye through tiny incisions.
Repaired from the inside
With the vitreous removed, the surgeon reaches the retina to reattach it, peel a membrane or clear a hemorrhage.
Gas or oil at the end
They hold the retina in place while it heals. They determine your head position and when you can fly.
When is a vitrectomy needed
The most common reasons. The retina specialist confirms at the assessment whether vitrectomy is right for you.
Retinal detachment
The retina separates from the wall of the eye. It is an emergency: surgery is done within days. Depending on the case, the surgeon chooses vitrectomy, a scleral buckle or a combination of both.
What to do: assessment the same day or the next
Macular hole
A hole in the center of the retina that affects central vision. It is treated with vitrectomy and peeling of the internal limiting membrane (ILM).
Scheduled surgery
Epiretinal membrane
A thin layer that forms over the macula, wrinkles it and distorts the image. It is also removed with vitrectomy and ILM peeling.
Scheduled surgery
Vitreous hemorrhage and diabetic retinopathy
Blood inside the vitreous that blocks vision, or advanced diabetic retinopathy. Vitrectomy clears the blood and allows the retina to be treated.
The retina specialist decides the timing
Do not have the indication yet? Start with a consultation with a retina specialist in Medellín. If you were told you need injections and not surgery, see intravitreal injections.
How a vitrectomy is done
The surgeon decides the duration and the type of anesthesia for your case.
Assessment and tests
Dilated fundus exam, OCT and, if blood blocks the view, an eye ultrasound.
Tiny incisions
The 23G, 25G or 27G ports are placed in the wall of the eye.
Removing the vitreous
The gel is removed and, with it, the blood or the traction on the retina.
Repair
The retina is reattached, the membrane is peeled or the diabetic retina is treated.
Gas or oil and closure
If needed, the eye is left with gas or silicone oil.
Gas or silicone oil: what changes
The surgeon decides which to use based on your retina. Sometimes neither is needed.
With gas
- The eye absorbs it on its own over time, with no further surgery.
- You need to keep the head position the surgeon indicates, sometimes face down.
- You cannot fly or go up to high altitude until the gas has been absorbed.
- While there is gas, vision in that eye is very blurry.
With silicone oil
- It is not absorbed: it holds the retina for as long as the surgeon considers necessary.
- A second surgery is usually needed to remove it, which may mean another trip.
- The surgeon tells you the head position and any travel restrictions.
- It is used in cases that need longer support.
Recovery and travel after a vitrectomy
The most important thing if you come from another city or country: your return date is not set by the calendar, it is set by the surgeon.
After a vitrectomy: what changes and what does not
Vision improves gradually
It is not immediate: vision improves over weeks, and more slowly if gas or oil was left inside the eye.
Not all vision always comes back
What can be achieved depends on the damage the retina had before surgery. That is why, with a detachment, it is best not to wait.
A cataract afterwards is common
After a vitrectomy it is common for a cataract to appear or progress. It is treated with cataract surgery when the specialist indicates it.
With oil, a second surgery
If silicone oil was left, its removal is usually scheduled. The surgeon decides when.
Vitrectomy at a glance
| Technique | Small-incision 23G, 25G or 27G pars plana vitrectomy |
|---|---|
| Indications | Retinal detachment, macular hole, epiretinal membrane, vitreous hemorrhage and advanced diabetic retinopathy |
| Guide price | COP 12,000,000 to COP 24,000,000 per eye |
| Consultation with the retina specialist | COP 320,000 to COP 600,000, plus OCT COP 400,000 for both eyes |
| At the end of surgery | Fluid, gas or silicone oil, as the surgeon decides |
| Duration and anesthesia | Decided by the surgeon for each case |
| Air travel | With gas, no flying or going up to high altitude until it is absorbed and the surgeon clears you |
| Visual recovery | Gradual, over weeks |
| Follow-ups | First in person in Medellín; later some remotely when the specialist considers it safe |
Why arrange your vitrectomy with MDE Care
We are not a clinic: we are your coordination team. We connect you with retina surgeons and accredited clinics in Medellín.
Speed when it is urgent
With a retinal detachment we arrange the assessment with the retina specialist as soon as possible.
A clear price before you travel
You know from the start the price range of the surgery and what can change it.
A stay planned around the gas
Accommodation, transport to follow-ups and a return trip that respects what the surgeon clears.
Organizations that support our work
How we arrange your vitrectomy
A guided process from your first message to your trip home.
Tell us your case
Message us on WhatsApp with your indication and your test results.
Assessment
The retina specialist confirms the indication and decides on the technique.
Surgery
Vitrectomy at an accredited clinic in Medellín.
Recovery
The indicated head position, follow-ups and your stay in Medellín.
Going home
When the surgeon clears you; then remote follow-ups if it is safe.
Common questions about vitrectomy
How much does a vitrectomy cost in Medellín?
What is a vitrectomy?
How long is recovery?
Can I fly after a vitrectomy?
Why do I need to stay face down?
What is silicone oil and is it removed?
Does vitrectomy cause cataracts?
When is it an emergency?
Already been told you need a vitrectomy?
Send us your referral or your test results and we help you arrange the assessment and the surgery in Medellín.
Other ophthalmology procedures
Ready to arrange your vitrectomy in Medellín?
Write to us with your indication and your test results. We arrange the assessment with the retina specialist, the surgery, your stay and your trip home, with a clear price from the first message.