Eye surgery in Colombia: short trips, narrow candidacy

Refractive and cataract surgery are the shortest medical trips there are — typically three to five days from landing to clearance to fly — and the ones where candidacy, not price, does most of the deciding.

LASIK is published from about $1,200 USD for both eyes and cataract surgery from about $1,500 per eye against roughly $5,000 in the United States, with the full range of laser and lens procedures starting at $1,200. The lens you choose changes the total more than the country does: a premium multifocal or toric IOL is a significant upgrade over a monofocal, and it is the line item worth understanding before you agree to anything.

Candidacy is decided by the cornea, not by the quote

Corneal thickness, pupil size, refractive stability and dry-eye status determine whether LASIK, PRK, SMILE or an implantable lens is appropriate — and for some eyes, none of them are. A clinic that confirms you are a candidate from a spectacle prescription over email has not examined you. Expect a full topography and measurement session on arrival, and expect the plan to be capable of changing after it.

Choosing the procedure

Cataract and lens surgery

Medical eye conditions

Plan the flight home around the follow-up, not the other way round. Same-day discharge is normal; the next-morning check is not optional, and a cheap flight that forces you to skip it is a false economy. See how the coordination works if you would rather not manage the scheduling yourself.