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
Karen Wright
I would highly recommend the CK treatment at Advance VisionCare. Great results, no discomfort or side effects.
Jan Thomson
Mr Pillai and his staff were excellent. I am completely satisfied with the care I recieved and would not hesitate to recommend them.
R. Kenney
I can not put another rating than excellent. Your services from start to finish were most impressive. The professionalism off all the staff instilled me with confidence to put my eyesight in your hands.
Chris Mack
Advance Vision Care Review My eyesight has always been a limiting factor in what I could do. My prescription was a very serious -9 in both eyes, so I had no option but to wear contacts if I wanted to do anything active. Laser eye surgery had occurred to me as a possibility, but I was always scared (actually, terrified) of it going wrong. So when my optometrist informed me that I would only be able to continue wearing contacts for a couple more years because my eyes weren't getting enough oxygen, I was shocked into action. I started researching the state of laser surgery. I read technical white papers about every eye laser I could find. I read FDA rulings, medical reports and studies detailing success rates of various lasers. I went onto forums to try to get an idea of which UK doctors seem to have a good reputation. Basically I spent days and nights reading everything I could find about laser eye surgery. I did not want to mess this up. Before long I dismissed the possibility of *any* of the chain laser surgery clinics. Most do not let you speak to the surgeon first, I've read too many bad stories, and I did not want to be 'just another number'. So I focussed on the smaller clinics. I won't name them here, but all pre-eminent ones in south. After all this research, and quite a number of emails and phone calls for more information from different clinics, I ended up deciding on a free consultation at Advance Vision Care. My reasons for choosing them? Mr. Pillai has done thousands of surgeries, and comes very highly recommended by previous clients. His laser was one of the most up to date, and he used what I considered (after reading up on this) the most common-sense approach to surgery. I was very nervous about the whole thing, and had many questions when I got there. Mr Pillai spent a lot of time going over all of my questions, answering them all with honesty, and providing me with all the options open to me. Because my eyesight was so poor, and because I also suffered from mild astigmatism and larger than average pupil size, i was far from an ideal candidate. He walked me through my options, gave honest assessments of what he thought the success rates were, and provided me with all the information I needed to make my own decision. There was never any sales pressure, and I was incredibly impressed with the amount of time Mr Pillai was willing to spend with me during a free assessment, his down-to-earth communication style and, most importantly, his honesty. He gave me more options than I thought I had, and explained the pros and cons of each. By the end of the free assessment I knew that Mr Pillai was the right surgeon for me. I went away, thought about my options, and went in for surgery. I ended up having LASIK on my left eye, and LASEK on my right. (Because the prescription in my right eye was worse, there was a greater chance that the LASIK incision would have been too deep to do a full correction, so LASEK was a safer option.) I won't go into the differences between the two, as that information is readily available online. The surgery itself is remarkably quick. You're in and out again before you know it. It is not painful at all, but it's not really a pleasant experience. (Tip: when you're on the table, focus on the light, and hold your eye as steady as possible!). Mr Pillai gave me pills and eye drops and then I was off to the (very nice) hotel that's included with surgery. My girlfriend was there to help me negotiate the walk to the hotel, but I could probably have managed on my own, even 5 minutes after surgery my left eye could see well enough to get around, although I couldn't read anything (like street signs) very well. My right eye couldn't see much at all, but that was to be expected with LASEK's longer recovery period. I didn't have any pain, but my eyes did feel like they constantly had an eyelash in them or something. I did not have to take any of the pills (for pain), but my vision was pretty blurry, and I wasn't very comfortable, so I tried to just go to sleep. I had the surgery on a Saturday, and I could have gone back to work on Monday, but I took a day off, as I work with computer screens all day, I thought it was best to err on the side of caution. I was back at work on Tuesday. I did have to lower the resolution of my monitor for a couple of weeks, and tried to remember to focus away from the screen a few times every hour. I suffered from slightly blurry vision, and some starbursting at night, and had very dry eyes and had to use a lot of eye drops/gel. I could notice improvement almost every day that went by for a while. As far as progress after the surgery - the eyelash in the eye sensation was mostly gone the next day in my left eye, lasted a day or so longer in my right. The vision in my left was really quite good by the next day, but it was around 2-3 weeks before i had good vision out of my right. However, with both eyes open, my left eye seemed to take over, so I had good overall (but not perfect) vision by the day after surgery. I had very dry eyes for some time after surgery. I had to use eye drops constantly for the first week or two. Slowly I needed to use less and less, but it was almost 6 months before I didn't need them at all anymore. I have since been in incredibly dusty, desert like environments, and haven't needed any eye drops at all. I also suffered from minor starbursting at night for several months. It really was minor, and I would have been very happy with the results of the surgery even if that had been permanent - however even that seems to have gotten better, and if there is still any starbursting, I do not notice it. It is now 12 months later (I didn't want to write a review until a year had passed) and my eyesight is 20/20 in my right, and 20/40 in my left. I can see better than I ever have in the past, when I wake up in the morning I can see the alarm clock, don't need to reach for a set of glasses, and don't need to go straight to the bathroom to put my contact lenses in. I can go for a swim without worrying about my contacts, my eyes don't get tired anymore from having contacts in for too long, I don't forget to take them out at night and sleep with them in anymore. I went into surgery ready to be happy if I just got my prescription down to a -1 or something manageable. But I've now got perfect vision and I couldn't be happier.
Christine Gilbertson
My husband & I received the utmost courtesy and professional treatment. All of the staff were friendly, yet professional and soon put us at ease. We would not hesitate to recommend Dr Pillai and his team to anyone considering CK treatment. It’s great not have to wear reading glasses !!
Di Airey
My friend had laser eye surgery with you 18 months previously so you already came well recommended. From start to date my experience has been really positive. All staff involved, including Mr Pillai, made everything seem straightforward and simple without diminishing the fact that this was a major decision, somewhat scary and a big financial outlay. I am extremely happy with the service to date, and I’m over the moon with the results. After almost 30 years I’m glasses free!!!
Terry Downs
I was very apprehensive about having laser surgery; it took me almost two years to pluck up the courage to book my first consultation. Once U did, I never looked back! (Excuse the pun) Advance VisionCare explained the whole procedure and gave me peace of mind. The laser treatment has changed my life. I can now enjoy water sports and lat night socialising with friends without irritating contacts or glasses.
Steve Crook
First class patient-orientated service. I had every confident that I was experiencing the best treatment and the best care available. I have no hesitation in endorsing Advance VisionCare. For me, this has been a life-enhancing experience.
Phil Gwilliam
The CK procedure was very a simple, painless experience, after which I was able to read without the aid of any reading glasses e.g. menus, computer screen, even able to read the date on my watch which I wasn’t able to do even with glasses. Previous to CK procedure, wore my glasses or contact lenses all the time even to watch T.V. I have now displaced with the glasses and contact lenses completely!! I am still amazed how simple & quick the treatment has been.
Melanie Herbert
Very professional from start to finish results were even better than expected
