1. Review of Advanced Vision Care
Advanced Vision Care (AVC) is an independent surgeon-led clinic founded in 2003 by Mr Pillai on Harley Street, London. With no affiliation with any manufacturers, you should be able to count on treatment that’s best suited to your needs.
AVC’s Medical Director and lead surgeon, Mr Pillai, has nearly three decades of ophthalmic experience and is one of the few surgeons to have fellowships for both refractive laser surgery and cornea treatment. Patients even enjoy the benefit of speaking to Mr Pillai during the initial consultation, and can look forward to a stress-free aftercare plan, including any retreatment if necessary.
What makes AVC different? This clinic prides itself on being able to treat any eye prescription using a wide mix of treatments, meaning it may just be able to help you, even if other clinics have turned your down. Its patients also give this clinic the thumbs up, leaving hundreds of positive reviews on our site over the years.
- AVC tailors treatments to its customers’ specific visual needs.
- You can receive eye care from a small team of eye experts, each with 25 years of experience.
- Laser and non-laser treatments sit under one roof, for customer convenience.
Is there anything else I should know? As you’d expect, cutting-edge eye surgery on Harley Street comes at a price, and this time it’s higher on average than you’ll find at some of the other top-rated eye clinics dotted around the UK. And unless you happen to live in central London, there may not be a clinic near you.
☝ Compare clinics: See if there are any other top-rated clinics near you, and use our simple tool to receive a personalised quote.
2. Treatments
Advanced Vision Care specialises in laser as well as non-laser vision correction treatments, including all the usual suspects: LASIK, LASEK, implantable contact lenses (ICL surgery), lens replacement surgery, cataract surgery and keratoconus treatment.
- Advanced Wavefront LASIK / LASEK – Highly accurate laser surgery for those with thin eye surfaces or active lifestyles.
- Phototherapeutic Keratectomy (PTK) – Therapy for treating long-term eye conditions.
- Implantable Contact Lens (EVO Visian ICL) – Suitable for patients with complex eye prescriptions, thin corneas or dry eyes.
- Lens Replacement (Refractive Lens Exchange) – Eye surgery for those over 40 with a reading prescription.
- Cataract Surgery – Removes cloudy lenses, and replaces them with artificial clear ones.
- Corneal Implants – Reshape irregular eye shapes to make contact lenses more comfortable.
As is standard with eye surgery clinics, all AVC treatments come with a 12 month aftercare package, which includes: regular check-ups, 24-hour eye expert support line, and post-op medication for the first month.
In the unlikely event that you require eye surgery enhancement, any laser fine tuning or YAG laser capsule thickening removal (following cataract treatment) is available at no extra cost.
3. Technology
Advanced Vision Care was the first clinic in the UK to house the complete Alcon Refractive Suite, which it claims is the safest non-laser technology in the country. It creates a personalised treatment plan that starts with a Verion Image Guided system in your first consultation, and continues throughout the surgery with devices that ensure superior visualisation.
The laser eye surgery treatment is also advanced. The femtosecond Intralase 5F Laser works blade-free by using pulses of harmless light to create a corneal flap, and the Bausch Teneo 317 Excimer Laser takes just 3 to 5 seconds to correct your vision.
What’s more, the highly accurate Advanced Wavefront technology is included in all laser treatments as standard, and an Eye Tracking System tracks eye movements, so you don’t need to worry about blinking during the procedure.
4. Advanced Vision Care Prices
AVC has some of the most reasonable payment options out there. It’s not the cheapest – high street clinics such as Optical Express and Ultralase take the crown for cost – but the free consultation, fixed prices, and flexible interest free finances all help their treatments work around you.
Is it worth paying more? Of course, that’s for you to decide. But to give you an idea of the prices, laser eye surgery at AVC costs £2,100 (per eye), compared to well-reviewed alternatives such as Optical Express and AccuVision which come in at around half that on average.
| Eye Surgery Procedure | Price (per eye) | Finance Options (per month) |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Wavefront LASIK | £2,100 | £66.67 (24 months, 0% APR) |
| Phototherapeutic Keratectomy (PTK) | £2,100 | £66.67 (24 months, 0% APR) |
| ICL Surgery (Simple Lens) | £3,450 – £3,750 | £122.22 – £138.89 (18 months, 0% APR) |
| ICL Surgery (Specialist Lens) | £4,150 | £161.11 (18 months, 0% APR) |
| Monofocal lens surgery | £3,150 – £3,450 | £105.56 – 122.22 (18 months, 0% APR) |
| Multifocal lens surgery | £3,750 – £4,050 | £138.89 – £155.56 (18 months, 0% APR) |
| Keratoconus Treatment | £2,150 – £2,450 | £91.67 – £108.33 (18 months, 0% APR) |
Are there finance options?
Yes, AVC has partnered with Hitachi Finance to offer flexible payment plans, meaning you can pay the full cost of eye surgery in bite-size monthly installments.
For example, you could pay for laser eye surgery in chunks of £66.67 a month for two years interest free, or £33.59 for 60 months at 9.9% APR. That’s generous – most clinics require 11% APR, and only the first year at 0% interest.
Does medical insurance cover the surgery costs at AVC?
Yes, AVC is an accredited provider of ophthalmic surgery for many of the UK’s leading insurance companies, including:
- Allianz
- AVIVA
- AXA PPP
- BUPA and BUPA International
- Cigna
- Simply Health
As always, you’ll need to confirm how you would like to pay before booking your surgery, both with your chosen clinic and your medical insurer.
Read more: Laser eye surgery costs explained
5. AVC Review: The Verdict
Advanced Vision Care consistently receives a five-star rating from hundreds of patients, which is why this clinic makes it to our list of the best laser eye surgery clinics in the UK.
With in-depth consultations providing an honest assessment of whether eye surgery is right for you, Advanced Vision Care also takes the prize for being one of the top places for laser eye surgery in London.
☝ Is Advanced Vision Care for you? To see if there is a better reviewed laser eye surgery clinic near you, just hit here to use our simple quote tool, and get a tailored quote from a clinic you can trust.
Surgeons
Advanced Vision Care Reviews
al kirk
great clinic
Mrs A G Robinson
Having grown tired of wearing glasses for some twenty years or more I decided to do some research. After having read practically all that is available on the Internet regarding laser eye surgery. I finally contacted my optometrist for his advice/opinion. Although he was anxious to let me know that he had no affiliation whatsoever with any of the clinics, he was happy to confirm my own conclusion: that Advance VisionCare was probably the best. I was very impressed from the word go and felt confident nothing could go wrong and fixed a date there and then for the operation to took place without a hitch a week later. The procedure was far less uncomfortable than I expected. I had none of the after effects mentioned here and there (no weepy, sore eyes and no pain) and spent the evening after watching TV (without glasses-Bliss!) I slept very well and the painkillers were unnecessary but I did apply the drops and gel tears regularly (as prescribed) and wore my goggles at night for a week afterwards. 6 weeks on and my vision still fluctuates slightly; for instance, I’ll pick up the paper and never know whether I’ll need my reading glasses or not that particularly day. The vision in my left eye is near perfect; in my right eye I am now slightly short sighted as it was over corrected and I need to go back in for a slight adjustment. Mr Pillai talks very casually about the procedure and I feel it is pretty routine work and have no qualms whatsoever. So far I was delighted (driving-as reversing round corners etc-has become a lovely experience: wearing hats, a new pleasure and applying eye make up & joy etc, etc!) I have ticked all of Advance VisionCare questionnaire “excellent” boxes. They could not have performed better in all respect. Mr Pillai has an excellent, very friendly and professional team surrounding him and I have no hesitation in recommending all of them to anyone interested. 17th August 2005. Well, well, well…. I have been home without further ado. 9 weeks on and my right eye have corrected itself of its own accord. My eyesight is pretty good and could even get better apparently. We’ll see…. next appointment is in 4 months time. I am really chuffed.
Brian Berry
Excellent pre & post operative service and care.
Laura Cuschieri
Absolutely brilliant !!!! A dream come true so a very big thank you.
Caroline Barron
My overall treatment and expectations were fully met in all areas. I did however find that the goggles for night time wear were extremely uncomfortable and recommended that their design needs to be addressed to aid sleeping more comfortably. I couldn’t be happier with my 20/20 vision result and highly recommend Wavefront to anyone considering the procedure.
Robert Walter
Advance VisionCare made the experience of laser eye surgery nothing to be worried about by surrounding me with knowledgeable professionals, who understand the worries of potential patients. I went from a –9 in both eyes to (currently) perfect in my right eye and a +0.25 in my left. Allowing for the trend so far-my left should be at 0.00 soon too (four weeks since the op) Thank you to Advance VisionCare & here is to many more great success stories!
Simone Harris
I often still feel like I am wearing contact lenses because I can watch the television and see the view from my window. Then I realise that the laser eye treatment has been a miracle and I can now see with clear vision every minute of everyday. I would definitely recommend this surgery as an absolute must because it is wonderful feeling to have your eyesight restored in a safe and pain free operation.
Carol Wooldridge
I am very pleased with the treatment.I had minimum pain after the first 4 or 5 hours and was very religious about adhering to the instruction re post-op care. I was able to complete my first great north run in 2 hours 7 minutes 3 weeks post surgery !!!
Roz Valente
I had been wearing glasses since I was 7 and contacts since the age of 15 so having laser eye correction was a big step for me, I must admit I was very nervous and frightened, but I need not to have worried Mr Pillai and his team talked to me through every step of the way of the laser surgery. They were helpful and efficient, the whole thing was over in no time at all and the results were amazing. Along with the clinic aftercare I can only recommend Advance VisionCare and know it was the best decision I could have made.
Mr R York
Very good service from very good people, went with a –7.5 + a bad astigmatism 2 weeks post op 20/20 vision. Wavefront LASEK not particularly nice but it was the only way I could correct because of large pupil size/ high prescription. I am amazed by the results I thought I might still need glasses for driving and was willing to accept that, but the actual results are outstanding my thanks to Mr Pillai and all the team.
Joseph Horton
Advance VisionCare are a very professional and experienced clinic in laser eye surgery procedure. They offer a high level of service and patient care from the very moment you first walk through the door of their Harley Street clinic. With a prescription of almost –5.00 in both eyes and very bad hayfever, the summer months here are a miserey for me with glasses and contact lenses. I now have 20/20 vision thanks to Mr Pillai and his team and enjoy a much better quality of life as a result. Many thanks Advance VisionCare.
