Most eye clinics in Colombia that see international patients have someone who speaks English. But the receptionist who books your follow-up, the pharmacist who fills your drops and the nurse on the after-hours line may not. A few dozen words cover most of what you will hear, and knowing them makes you safer, not just more comfortable.
This glossary is organized the way a trip actually unfolds: booking and paperwork, exams, diagnoses, procedures and lenses, medications, post-op instructions and warning signs. Each table gives the Spanish term, a plain English meaning and a note where Colombian usage differs from what you may have learned elsewhere. Phrases you can copy, say or paste into WhatsApp are at the end.
Colombian usage to know before you start
Spanish medical vocabulary is mostly shared across countries, but everyday words shift. A few that come up constantly in Colombian eye care:
- Gafas means eyeglasses. In Colombia, lentes on its own usually suggests contact lenses, so say lentes de contacto when you mean contacts and gafas for glasses. US Spanish materials often use lentes or anteojos for glasses instead; one US academic center's Spanish post-op handout, for example, uses lentes for glasses and sunglasses.5
- Valoración is the evaluation appointment, where the surgeon examines you and decides whether you are a candidate. You will see "valoración prequirúrgica" on quotes.
- Control is a follow-up visit. "Su control es mañana a las 8" means your post-op check is tomorrow at 8.
- Gotas is the everyday word for eye drops. Colirio is understood but sounds more formal or Spain-flavored.
- Fórmula or fórmula médica is a prescription. An eyeglass prescription is a fórmula de gafas.
- Droguería is the usual word for a pharmacy in Colombia.
- Particular means paying privately, outside the public insurance system. As a foreign self-pay patient, you are a paciente particular.
- EPS (Entidad Promotora de Salud) is the insurer Colombians enroll with in the mandatory health system, under either the contributory regime (employment-based) or the subsidized regime.2 Staff may ask "¿Tiene EPS?" by reflex. You can answer "No, soy particular."
Booking, paying and paperwork
| Spanish | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| cita / agendar una cita | appointment / to book an appointment | "Agendar" is the common Colombian verb |
| valoración | evaluation consult | May be priced separately from surgery |
| consulta | consultation, office visit | General word for a visit |
| control / control postoperatorio | follow-up / post-op check | Ask how many are included |
| cotización | written quote | Ask for it itemized |
| paciente particular | self-pay patient | Not billed through an EPS |
| EPS | Colombian health insurer | Contributory or subsidized regime2 |
| medicina prepagada | private prepaid health plan | Separate from the EPS system |
| historia clínica | medical record | You have the right to request a copy |
| epicrisis | discharge summary | Ask for it before you fly home |
| consentimiento informado | informed consent form | Ask for an English version or time to translate |
| orden médica | doctor's order (for tests) | Needed for some exams |
| incapacidad | medical leave certificate | Useful if your employer needs proof |
Eye exams and measurements
Before refractive or cataract surgery you will go through a battery of tests. Knowing the names helps you check that the quote includes them. For what each test is for, see our guide to pre-op tests before cataract surgery.
| Spanish | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| agudeza visual | visual acuity | The letter chart |
| refracción | refraction | Measuring your prescription |
| dilatar la pupila / gotas para dilatar | dilate the pupil / dilating drops | Bring sunglasses; no driving after |
| fondo de ojo | dilated retina exam | Literally "back of the eye" |
| presión intraocular / tonometría | eye pressure / tonometry | Glaucoma screening |
| lámpara de hendidura | slit lamp | The microscope exam |
| topografía corneal / tomografía corneal | corneal mapping | Key for LASIK candidacy |
| paquimetría | corneal thickness measurement | Determines laser options |
| biometría | eye-length measurement for lens power | Cataract and lens surgery |
| recuento endotelial / microscopía especular | corneal cell count | Common before lens surgery |
| OCT (tomografía de coherencia óptica) | retina and nerve scan | Often said as "o-ce-te" |
| campo visual | visual field test | Glaucoma and eyelid workups |
| ojo dominante | dominant eye | Matters for monovision |
Diagnoses and eye conditions
The basic refractive terms below match those used by the US National Eye Institute in its Spanish materials.1
| Spanish | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| miopía | nearsightedness | Distant objects blurry1 |
| hipermetropía | farsightedness | Near objects blurry1 |
| astigmatismo | astigmatism | Blurred or distorted at any distance1 |
| presbicia / vista cansada | presbyopia | Age-related near blur1; "vista cansada" is the everyday phrase |
| catarata | cataract | The cloudy lens |
| cristalino | the eye's natural lens | Replaced in cataract surgery |
| córnea / retina / mácula | cornea / retina / macula | Nearly the same words |
| glaucoma | glaucoma | Same word |
| queratocono | keratoconus | Often treated with crosslinking |
| ojo seco | dry eye | Common after laser surgery |
| pterigio / carnosidad | pterygium | "Carnosidad" is the common Colombian word |
| desprendimiento de retina | retinal detachment | An emergency6 |
| degeneración macular | macular degeneration | Often "DMAE" in writing |
| retinopatía diabética | diabetic retinopathy | Needs ongoing monitoring |
Procedures and lens types
| Spanish | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| cirugía refractiva | refractive (vision-correction) surgery | Umbrella term for LASIK, PRK, SMILE, ICL |
| LASIK / PRK / SMILE | same | Usually pronounced as in English |
| ablación de superficie | surface ablation (PRK-type) | You may see this instead of "PRK" |
| cirugía de catarata / facoemulsificación | cataract surgery / phacoemulsification | "Faco" for short |
| lente intraocular (LIO) | intraocular lens (IOL) | The implant |
| lente monofocal / multifocal / trifocal | monofocal / multifocal / trifocal lens | Premium lenses cost more |
| lente de foco extendido (EDOF) | extended depth of focus lens | Also called "rango extendido" |
| lente tórico | toric (astigmatism) lens | Usually an upgrade |
| lente fáquico / ICL | phakic implant (ICL) | Placed in front of your natural lens |
| cambio de cristalino | refractive lens exchange | Lens replacement without cataract |
| monovisión | monovision | One eye for distance, one for near4 |
| crosslinking / entrecruzamiento corneal | corneal cross-linking | Most clinics just say "crosslinking" |
| anillos intraestromales | corneal rings | For keratoconus |
| trasplante de córnea / queratoplastia | corneal transplant | DMEK and DSAEK keep their English initials |
| vitrectomía | vitrectomy | Retina surgery |
| capsulotomía con láser YAG | YAG laser capsulotomy | For clouding after cataract surgery |
Drops, medications and the pharmacy
You will usually leave surgery with a fórmula listing two or three drops. Get the schedule written down and photograph the boxes. One US academic center's Spanish post-op handout asks patients to use one eye medication at a time and wait 5 minutes between them, with ointment after drops.5 Your own surgeon's instructions take priority.
| Spanish | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| gotas / colirio | eye drops | "Gotas" is the everyday word |
| ungüento / pomada oftálmica | eye ointment | Usually at night |
| lágrimas artificiales / gotas lubricantes | artificial tears | Ask whether preservative-free (sin conservantes) |
| antibiótico | antibiotic | Usually for the first week or so |
| corticoide / esteroide | steroid | Often tapered; don't stop early |
| antiinflamatorio | anti-inflammatory (NSAID) | Common after cataract surgery |
| agite antes de usar | shake before use | Printed on many steroid drops |
| cada cuatro horas / tres veces al día | every four hours / three times a day | Example dosing phrases |
| en el ojo derecho / izquierdo / ambos ojos | in the right / left / both eyes | Often written OD / OI / AO |
| gotero | dropper bottle | Don't touch the tip to the eye |
| droguería | pharmacy | Bring the fórmula |
Colombian prescriptions often use OD (ojo derecho, right eye), OI (ojo izquierdo, left eye) and AO (ambos ojos, both eyes). English-language prescriptions use OD, OS and OU, so the left-eye abbreviation is the one that differs.
Post-op instructions you'll hear
These are the phrases most likely to come at you quickly on your way out of the surgery room. The handout cited above gives typical examples: wear the eye shield when sleeping, do not rub your eyes, and do not bend down toward your feet.5
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| No se frote los ojos. | Don't rub your eyes. |
| Use el protector (o el parche) para dormir. | Wear the shield (or patch) to sleep. |
| No se agache. | Don't bend over. |
| No levante cosas pesadas. | Don't lift heavy things. |
| Evite que le entre agua o jabón al ojo. | Keep water and soap out of the eye. |
| No use maquillaje en los ojos. | No eye makeup. |
| No nade en piscina ni en el mar. | No swimming in pools or the sea. |
| Use gafas oscuras. | Wear sunglasses. |
| Puede ducharse. | You may shower. |
| Repose / guarde reposo. | Rest. |
| Venga a control mañana. | Come back for a check tomorrow. |
For how long each restriction usually lasts, see our recovery timeline for every procedure.
Symptoms and warning signs
Some symptoms are expected after surgery, and others need a same-day call. Glare, halos and double vision, especially at night, are listed by the FDA among possible LASIK side effects, as is dry eye.3 Mayo Clinic's Spanish page describes the symptoms of retinal detachment as a sudden appearance of floaters (moscas volantes), flashes of light (fotopsias), blurred vision, worsening side vision, and a curtain-like shadow over your vision, and calls it an emergency.6
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| dolor / me duele el ojo | pain / my eye hurts |
| ojo rojo / enrojecimiento | red eye / redness |
| hinchazón | swelling |
| secreción / pus / lagañas | discharge / pus / crust |
| visión borrosa | blurry vision |
| perdí visión / veo menos | I lost vision / I see less |
| moscas volantes | floaters6 |
| destellos / fotopsias | flashes of light6 |
| una sombra o cortina | a shadow or curtain6 |
| halos / deslumbramiento | halos / glare3 |
| visión doble | double vision3 |
| sensibilidad a la luz / fotofobia | light sensitivity |
| sensación de arena / de cuerpo extraño | gritty / foreign-body feeling |
| náuseas / vómito | nausea / vomiting |
| fiebre | fever |
Contact your surgeon or go to urgencias (the emergency department) the same day for sudden or severe eye pain, increasing redness, swelling or discharge, a drop in vision in the operated eye, nausea or vomiting with eye pain, or fever.5 A sudden shower of floaters, flashes or a curtain over your vision can mean retinal detachment and needs urgent care.6 Before surgery, save the clinic's after-hours number in your phone. Our guide to retinal detachment surgery options explains what happens next if it occurs.
Ready-to-use phrases
These use usted, which is the safe, polite default with medical staff in Medellín and across Colombia.
Booking and quotes
- Quisiera agendar una valoración para cirugía de cataratas / cirugía refractiva. I'd like to book an evaluation for cataract / refractive surgery.
- Soy paciente particular, no tengo EPS. I'm a self-pay patient; I don't have an EPS.
- ¿Me puede enviar una cotización detallada por escrito? Can you send me an itemized written quote?
- ¿El precio incluye los exámenes, los controles y las gotas? Does the price include the tests, follow-ups and drops?
- ¿Cuántos controles necesito antes de poder viajar? How many follow-ups do I need before I can fly?
At the exam
- Uso lentes de contacto blandos / rígidos. I wear soft / rigid contact lenses.
- Soy alérgico a… I'm allergic to…
- Tomo anticoagulantes / medicamentos para la presión. I take blood thinners / blood-pressure medication.
- Tengo diabetes / glaucoma. I have diabetes / glaucoma.
- ¿Me lo puede repetir más despacio, por favor? Could you repeat that more slowly, please?
- ¿Me lo puede escribir? Could you write it down for me?
Medications
- ¿Cada cuánto me aplico estas gotas, y por cuántos días? How often do I use these drops, and for how many days?
- ¿En cuál ojo? In which eye?
- ¿Tiene esta misma gota sin conservantes? Do you have this drop preservative-free?
After surgery and before flying home
- Por favor, deme una copia de la historia clínica y la epicrisis. Please give me a copy of my medical record and discharge summary.
- Necesito el modelo y la potencia del lente que me pusieron. I need the model and power of the lens you implanted.
- ¿Me autoriza para volar? Am I cleared to fly?
If something is wrong
- Me duele mucho el ojo y veo menos. My eye hurts a lot and I can see less.
- Veo destellos y una sombra como una cortina. I see flashes and a shadow like a curtain.
- Necesito hablar con el oftalmólogo de turno. I need to speak with the ophthalmologist on call.
- ¿Dónde queda el servicio de urgencias más cercano? Where is the nearest emergency department?
Practical tips for the trip
- Ask for written post-op instructions in English as well as Spanish, and keep both.
- Photograph every prescription (fórmula) and drop box so a pharmacist or your doctor at home can identify them.
- Keep your quote, consent form and discharge summary in one folder, paper and digital.
- Confirm whether the clinic's after-hours contact is a phone line or WhatsApp, and who answers it.
- If you are unsure about something medical, ask for an English-speaking staff member or an interpreter rather than guessing.
For the bigger picture of planning a first procedure in another country, see our guide to your first eye surgery abroad and our list of questions to ask an eye surgeon abroad. When you are ready to compare clinics, you can request a quote.