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
Vicky Jones
Everyone from start to finish to finish was very helpful. They put me at ease and explained everything thoroughly making sure I was happy to proceed.
The aftercare has also been very efficient, friendly and reassuring.
I would, and have recommended the treatment.
Pat Wells
Very happy with treatment so far. Lovely to be able to read without glasses.
David L.
After an initial consultation at Ultralase I was told LASEK was my only option but did not feel comfortable with their staff and seemed not to want to answer my “technical” questions. After hours of reading and contacting previous patients I went for a consultation at AVC.
Dr Pillai was excellent at explaining everything and answering any questions-he also believed my best chance of success was with the LASIK procedure. I went with Dr Pillai because he seems very knowledgeable and most capable of dealing with any problems. The surgery was not bad at all and apart from the night goggles, all was fine .I am very pleased I week post-op with near 100% vision having been –7.00. Thanks very much AVC.
Rebecca Dite
I had my wavefront surgery on 19th March and had 20/20 vision the following day! The staff are professional, relaxed, polite and helpful, as is Justin Hardy who does my aftercare at Bournemouth.
If I’m honest, I found the proceedure quite traumatic, perhaps I am not as brave as I thought I was! It did not hurt but it certainly goes against all one’s natural instincts to stare into very bright lights as someone fiddles about with your eyes. I’m glad I had them done at the same time, though. Having said all that, it is a bit like having a baby, in that I soon forgot how I felt at the time and I am delighted with the results. I still have quite a lot of night glare, but that should settle down within a couple of months. I cannot fault my vision, otherwise. In my opinion Advance Visioncare has an incredible surgeon: Mr Pillai is very relaxed and has a great sense of humour and he clearly knows how to choose helpful, professional staff.
Antonio Vieira
I had top quality attention, and top quality equipment. With all that makes me very confident, I felt positive to do my eye surgery and it was an excellent job and I feel so good with my vision and so happy.
I recommend everyone to see your clinic to do the eye surgery.
Thanks very much to the excellent job you have done my eyes.
Yulan Zheng
It as been 6 months since my Lasek surgery. I now have better than 20/20 vision. I still suffer from dry eyes but some ointment before I go to bed and some drops in the morning are definitely worth a clear vision without glasses! Will happily recommend AVC to anyone
James Kilburn
An all-round fantastic service – Thank You!
Chris Evans
I first spoke to AVC about CLE 3 years ago but did not proceed. Primarily because of the need to fit 2 hospital sessions in 2 weeks apart around a very busy work schedule.
Roll on 3 years I decided to look into the procedure again and was pleased to find eyes are now operated on successive days. This is a great improvement.
Some apprehension on the day of treatment (more on the second day!) but put at ease by staff and procedures went well. Proff Filipec is a man of few words but a reassuring surgeon.
Hotel accommodation of a good standard and well placed in central London. Taxi to and from the clinic worked well.
Now 6 weeks after operation: Distance and reading are excellent and more than met expectations. +1 ready readers needed for computer work.
Sam Ring
Overall I have been extremely impressed by the quality of service at Advanced Vision Care. I felt that the initial consultation was detailed and thorough and not overly sales-orientated (unlike another provider I had a previous consultation with).
The surgery was quick and painless and I could see the results almost immediately.
I am thrilled with the results and have experienced no side effects. It was worth every penny!
Valeree Barlow
You know you are good, aim to be better – in fact, the best! What a good attitude.
We were treated with extreme courtesy and kindness.
I was delighted to see, on my second visit, that a major refurbishment of 77 Harley Street was taking place.
Throughout I felt I was attended by excellent professionals. The people I remember best were: Pawel, of course Yeza, who dispelled all worries about the numerous drops and Hannah, who held my hand!
