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.
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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
T Tonkin
Excellent service and results, I wish I had it done sooner-it’s amazing to be able to open my eyes in the morning and see.
Helen Harrigan
I would like to thank all the team for their care and professionalism. If I had known how impressive the results were I would had had my eyes done earlier. Even now after three weeks I am still trying to get used to my glasses not being there. I keep reaching up to my face to push them up, and suddenly remember. I was so nervous on the day of surgery, but as soon as I stepped through the door I was instantly made to feel at ease. The surgery was over so quickly, I still can’t believe how quick it was. The phone call a couple of hours after surgery was a really nice touch. The hotel was provided by yourselves was really nice, and we will probably stop there again. Nothing needs to be improved as you cannot improve perfection. Thanks go to Lela for answering all my e-mails promptly, however silly the questions were. Thanks to Mr Pillai and his team for giving me the gift of sight. I will defiantly recommend you if anyone asks.
Christine Whlan
The laser procedure was something of which I had never heard, therefore didn’t know what to expect. When I attended the surgery the nurses and staff could not have been more helpful in explaining each step and putting me at ease. The procedure was quick and not at all painful. I had blurry vision for a couple of days but it cleared quickly and I was back at work within 3 days.
The whole procedure has been amazingly simple and the care and attention by the staff at the clinic has been second to none.
The Clear Lens Extraction was more daunting but the staff were very attentive and explained each step. I spent 2 ½ hours in the surgery, most of that time was before the procedure, having the drops and anaesthetic to make sure the eye was prepared.
The actual procedure was surreal; it didn’t feel as if it was actually happening to me as it wasn’t painful at all.
I went home on the train afterwards and returned the next day for the check up. I felt a little hazy the day after the procedure but it was not as if I had had anything major done, it didn’t feel painful and the vision improved daily. I was able to go back to work within the week.
The whole experience was amazing; the staff are without exception excellent, it does change your life.
Cassandra Thomas
Excellent care throughout, Staff friendly helpful and knowledgeable. Have recommend the clinic to others already. Very happy with the experience.
Lee Hammond
Many thanks to Advance VisionCare for giving me back my full sight-Can’t improve there service as it is brilliant already.
Stephanie
The customer service I received before surgery was great, then afterwards it has been quite poor. The surgery itself was over quickly. They do offer patients a sedative if they are really nervous as well. There was quite a bit of pain afterwards that I wasn’t expecting however I did have pain drops. I was given an emergency number to use directly after the surgery during the weekend. When I had complications that weekend, I repeatedly rang this number (no voicemail) and left a message with the answering service. No one phoned me back from either.
6 weeks on and only one eye has good vision, the other is blurry enough to give me headaches. I have left messages for the nurse to call me as apparently this is serious, and still no call back. I will end up camped out on their doorstep in the end.
I have to say, I would not recommend Advance to anyone, regardless of the rather cheerful surgeon. The after-care is almost as important and I have to say it is almost non-existent!
Paul Hampden
All went extremely well (procedure took place on 26/7/08), quite nervous on day but once it starts you realise it is just uncomfortable rather than painful and the thought is far worse than the reality. I reached driving standard the following day and was reading newspapers comfortably. I'm 43 so was warned that I may need reading glasses on completion however so far this has not been necessary. The standard of care was extremely high and at all times I felt I was in the hands of a very professional team. I would certainly recommend this clinic and I would have no hesitation in doing this again if the need arose.
Ed
A very professional service delivered by knowledgeable and experienced practitioners.
I always felt like I was in good hands and I am looking forward to a time when my eyes are fully recovered.
Sophie Reynolds
I found the whole team extremely professional and I was extremely confident in their ability to correct my vision. Mr Pillai made me feel very at ease and answered all my questions satisfactorily. I was amazed at how quickly the surgery was completed and my husband who was watching was enthralled! My eyes were only slightly sore and red the first day and once the temporary lenses were removed they felt much better and I was already 2 lines better than UK driving standard. By day 2 I was driving again and can not thank Advance VisionCare for their expertise and kindness.
R Preston
This operation has changed my life. I am and will continue to recommend the treatment. Many of my friends have told me how much they dislike wearing glasses and contact lenses. This treatment is well worth the money. I can now enjoy water sports and horse riding to the full where before my glasses or contact lenses irritated me. Thank you to all the staff at Harley Street.
