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LEAD SURGEON — ANTERIOR SEGMENT & CORNEA
Dr. Ivan Ossma, MD
Johns Hopkins · Harvard Medical School · Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
An American-trained ophthalmologist who chose to build his practice in South America — bringing two decades of precision to every consultation, every diagnosis, and every surgical decision.
THE FORMATION
Trained where the standards are set
Dr. Ivan Ossma is one of Latin America’s most internationally trained ophthalmologists. He earned his medical degree from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana — one of Colombia’s oldest and most prestigious universities, founded in 1623 and consistently ranked among the top medical schools in Latin America — before completing his ophthalmology residency at Fundación Oftalmológica de Santander in Bucaramanga.
What followed was a fellowship training trajectory that few surgeons anywhere in the world can match: a Research Fellowship in Public Health Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins — consistently ranked the #1 ophthalmology program in the United States — a Cornea Fellowship at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School, home to the world’s first cornea subspecialty clinic, and an Anterior Segment Surgery Fellowship at APEC in Mexico City, one of Latin America’s highest-volume ophthalmology centers.
He began his surgical career as Anterior Segment and Corneal Surgeon at Fundación Oftalmológica de Santander in 2003, then moved to Cali in 2005 to begin building the practice that would become Oftalmología Avanzada at Fundación Valle del Lili. He has not stopped pushing its boundaries since.
CLINICAL MILESTONES
Two decades of firsts
A career defined by introducing precision to a region that was ready for it.
2003
- First accommodating IOL in Latin America
- First dual-optic accommodating IOL (worldwide)
One of the first prospective clinical series in the world for this technology, subsequently cited in peer-reviewed literature.
- First ICL phakic lens surgery in Colombia
Two years before FDA approval in the United States.
2005
- First intracorneal ring segments
2007
- Founded Oftalmología Avanzada within Fundación Valle del Lili, Cali
- First ultrasound biomicroscopy in Cali
2010
- Presbyond LASIK for presbyopia
2011
- First femtosecond laser cataract surgery in Colombia
- First Boston KPro artificial cornea implantation in Colombia
2012
- First Femtosecond LASIK in the region
2013
- Raindrop corneal inlay for presbyopia
2015
- First trifocal IOL in Colombia
Years before FDA approval brought PanOptix to US patients.
2017
- First high-resolution OCT-based corneal topography in Colombia
2018
- DMEK endothelial corneal transplants
2020
- First Vivity EDOF IOL in Latin America
Non-diffractive EDOF technology not yet available in the US at time of introduction.
2022
- Advanced ray-tracing guided corneal refractive surgery
2024
- Artificial iris implantation
2025
- CAIRS procedure for keratoconus
25,000+
Phacoemulsification (cataract) procedures
10,000+
LASIK eyes treated
500+
Endothelial corneal transplants
Among the highest-volume corneal surgeons by any international benchmark.
TEACHING & RESEARCH
Contributing to the field, not just practicing in it
Dr. Ossma has been as committed to advancing the field as he has been to advancing his patients’ vision. He has held faculty appointments at four universities across two decades, including a long-running role as Associate Clinical Professor at Universidad Icesi School of Medicine in Cali — one of Colombia’s top-ranked universities, closely affiliated with Fundación Valle del Lili.
He has authored four book chapters on accommodating intraocular lenses and published a review article in the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery — the leading international peer-reviewed journal in his subspecialty, jointly published by ASCRS and ESCRS. He has delivered more than 100 presentations and keynote lectures at the world’s most prestigious ophthalmology conferences — including AAO, ASCRS, ESCRS, and the Pan-American Ophthalmology Congress — and has served as a panelist on IOL panels at both ASCRS and ESCRS.
Faculty Appointments:
- Associate Professor role in Biostatistics— Universidad Autónoma Bucaramanga 1998–2021
- Associate Clinical Professor — Universidad Icesi School of Medicine, Cali (2014–present)
- Clinical Professor Ophthalmology — Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga (2003–2005)
- Clinical Professor Ophthalmology — Universidad Autónoma Bucaramanga (2003–2005)
Society Memberships:
- ASCRS — American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons
- ESCRS — European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons
- Cornea Society
- International Keratoconus Society
- KPro Study Group — international group for keratoprosthesis research
AWARDS & RECOGNITION:
Seven-time ASCRS Best Paper of Session (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014)
AAO Achievement Award — American Academy of Ophthalmology
ASCRS Best Film — Intraocular Lenses (2005)
THE PHILOSOPHY
What it actually means to say no
“Every clinical decision is based on what I would do if the patient were my parents.”
The guiding principle at Oftalmología Avanzada is straightforward, if uncommon: every clinical decision is made as if the patient were a member of Dr. Ossma’s own family. Not as a metaphor — as a working standard. The question asked before any recommendation is not what the patient wants to hear, but what Dr. Ossma would do if this were his parents sitting in that chair.
That principle has a practical consequence that distinguishes the practice from most surgical centers: the willingness to say no. When a proposed procedure would not deliver a meaningful improvement in the patient’s life, or when the risks outweigh the realistic benefit, the answer is no — and the patient receives a thorough explanation of exactly why, precise enough that they could recognize and refuse the same procedure if offered elsewhere. “Saying no to someone requires a deep level of understanding.”
At every visit, a full ocular health review is conducted beyond the presenting concern — diagnosing conditions the patient was unaware of, coordinating onward referral where needed. The patient leaves with a complete picture of their ocular health, not just an answer to their question.
Saying YES is easy. A well-reasoned NO is a clinical act of care.
BEYOND THE OR
The person behind the surgeon
Outside the operating room, Dr. Ossma is, above all, a family man. Most of his time away from the clinic is spent with his wife and children — hiking, traveling, being present. He also pursues a personal passion for fitness, cooking, and — true to character — the emerging intersection of coding, artificial intelligence, and medicine. The same drive that leads him to bring new technology to his surgical practice leads him to explore what that technology can do next.
“My passion lies where science meets surgical mastery: giving people the gift of better vision and a better life, because ophthalmology is one of the few fields where a single procedure can transform how someone experiences the world.”
— Dr. Ivan Ossma, MD
VISION
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