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
Louisa Clarke
The whole process was very re-assuring; I’d heard horror stories of conveyer belt laser surgery at other high street clinics. AVC is not that. Very individual car which lasts 18 months after treatment. I was also very reassured to learn Mr Pillai had performed one of the laser technicians daughters.
Hannah Smith
Staff were very caring and reassuring especially on treatment day. Mr Pillai saw I was anxious during the first consultation and was very open and honest about the risks, reminded me this is a elective surgery and that I should not go ahead if I had lots of doubts. I had time to ask all my questions and never felt rushed or pressured (a marked difference from high Street laser clinics).
The treatment itself was so quick, painless and easy I was amazed-much better than I expected. The valium really took the edge off my nerves on the day, and I was complete trust in Mr Pillai’s skills.
At my one week check up he showed me what I used to be able to see on the chart (past the “E”) and what I could see post surgery. I got outside and cried with happiness, I was so overwhelmed!
Thank you. AVC-best money I ever spent!
E.H.Clay
Obviously the decision to undergo laser surgery is not one to take lightly but despite initial nerves I was very much at ease by Dr Pillai and his team- I was very pleased with the care I received (in particular impressed that Mr Pillai saw me on a Sunday when I was experiencing discomfort with the post laser protective lenses). Most importantly I’m over the moon with the results!
Neil Charlton
I went with AVC because I could research the Surgeon, meet him and find out his track record. With a lot of other clinics you cannot do this! 1-The outcome of your Surgery will depend on the Surgeon, 2 the laser, 3 the aftercare. Many people purely look at cost which I believe is the wrong approach. There was no pain during or after surgery and I was driving 3 days. I still have 0.25 astigmatism in my right eye but I am hoping this will improve. I would highly recommend AVC, do your research and go in with your eyes open!
Lucy McDonald
My prescription was -7.00 -4.00 Right and -6.25 -4.50 Left and having worn glasses from the age of 5 never thought I would be able to be free from glasses now my sight is the best it has ever been. My only regret is that I didn’t get the surgery earlier. The staff are all very friendly and helpful it has been an entirely delightful experience I would highly recommend Advance VisionCare.
Adel Wells
Incredible experience. Highly recommend to me and not surprised why. A very professional and friendly throughout. The procedure was actually quite calm and I didn’t feel a thing. Mr Pillai’s words of comfort and explanations throughout really helped. I have been amazed that my healing process has been so quick and pain-free as I did expect to feel very uncomfortable afterwards but not in the slightest. One week on, and my vision is incredible and gradually improving, so I have been told! I will not hesitate in recommending ADC to others considering Laser, and con not fault any aspect of the service. Thank you! However I was petrified prior, but the small valium tablet helped to calm my nerves. I did not feel a thing during the laser procedure and immediately after could see that it has been successful.
Janet Royce
I had my laser surgery and could immediately see. Although I had a little discomfit while local anaesthetic wore off. That evening I was able to carry on as normal. I have had no problems and was able to carry on my life activities normally. I kept thinking I had my contact lenses in. Thank you.
V Boardman
Excellent service. Now was definitely the right time for me to have laser eye surgery and I have been recommending to anyone ever since.
Guy Harris
You can not really improve your service. It was excellent and would recommend you to any of my friends. Thank you very much
Anne Brightman
Having decided to go ahead with an eye operation to correct my eyes R -5.75 (-1.75X80), L -8.00(-1.50X50) for short-sightedness + astigmatism. I investigated thoroughly through the web and asked friends about their experiences. I very quickly realised that cheaper clinics would not offer the service that Advance VisionCare could provide. I have had an excellent, professional experience with all the staff and have been treated as an individual and not on the 'conveyer belt'! I can only offer the highest recommendation and have perfect sight after years and years of wearing glasses and contact lenses.
