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
Mrs Crawford
Having worn contact lenses (gas perm) for 20 years I didn't feel I was getting the best vision from them-they were constantly clounding up & moving. Many consultants would not consider laser correction on my prescription. +5.50/-3.50 x 15 (r) +5.75/-3.50 x 172 (L) however Dr Pillai was ever confident. He gave me realistic expectation of how well he could improve my vision & throughout the consultation and treatment he took personnal interest in me. The correction was considered quite a challenge and whilst the surgery was quite uncomfortable it was for a short period of time & the results are fantastic-no need for lenses or glasses anymore. I have never looked back !!!!
Chris Dorsett
As a 52 year old who had worn glasses for over 30 years I was really looking forward to the changes that sureley would bring. I decided to use Advance Visioncare because of their rating and comments on Lasik-eyes & was impressed with the professionalism at the early stages compared to a short type laser set up that i also contacted. I am now 6 weeks post op & my vision is 6/5 which is was whilst wearing glasses-I am delighted! Sadly I still have to have reading glasses but i knew that when i started out on this road.When i thought after surgery what could go wrong in a poor providers set up, I am so glad that i trusted my eyes to Mr Pillai and his superb team. It really is not worth trying to save a few pounds-this man is really the very best !!!
lois spargo
The care I have received is first rate. I may have to decide whether or not to have further surgery and there is a differential healing rate, but these have been very clearly explained to me by Mr Pillai. I hope in the future there will also be a treatment for the inability to read without glasses, for which I now suffer. My far vision, although not yet very good, is improved.
Christopher Morgan
Laser eye treatment has been the best choice I have made for years from having to wear glasses 24 hours a day, with the resultant tunnel vision. I now have excellent sight and no glasses. It’s total freedom.Excellent!
Gavin Simpson
My case was somewhat unusal as I had a complication with the flap on my left eye. My right eye was a complete sucess which meant vision was a little odd whilist I waited for the second operation 8 weeks laster. From this point of view, i would recommend that if at all possible, clients should have both eyes done at the same time. Anyway , I have just had the second operation on the left eye and I am delighted with the results. In fact it seems left sensitive than the right one was at the same point in time. My case proves that complications can occur but equally, in the right hands, they can be easly rectified. I would recomend Mr Pilai & Cassie, Richard and Lela to anyone. I truly felt that no time or exspence was spared in order to achieve the best results.
rachel Gurhy
I have ocular albinism, nystagmus (eyes oscillatiing all the time) and high astigmatism and did not think that I would be able to drive with out glasses. My prescription was around – 5.5 and astigmatism around –4. Now six weeks after surgery it is –0.5. I am extremely pleased with result s and surprised how quick and painless the operation was and within hours, my slight was almost as good as with my glasses. I was warned about my eye movements with laser but the treatment was totally successful. I would recommend to anyone.
Michael Carter
I had Wavefront LASIK done a month ago. My prescription prior to surgery was -6 in each eye. I have been looking into LASIK on and off for around 8 years. I had consultations with Boots and Accuvision (a year or two ago) who both seemed OK to me, but my nerves got the better of me both times. I was never nervous about the operation, only the outcome. I went with Advance Visioncare because they have Zyoptix Wavefront, and also because you get to talk to the surgeon at the consultation and throughout the whole process. The surgeon (Mr Pillai) is very friendly and helpful. From the beginning he seemed very confident that I would achieve excellent results. That was good enough for me. The procedure itself went pretty much as it has been described on this site. I remember the nurse was very good at explaining each part of the procedure. I will say that the pressure on the eye ball when the suction-cup went on was quite uncomfortable for me. I had two bruises on the white part of the eye which have almost disappeared, I'm not sure if this is normal. I also had to go back a week after for a "Flap Lift and Clean" procedure because a fibre was found under the flap of my left eye. But everything was handled very well, and I have no complaints about the care I have received so far. My left eye has healed much better than my right but that might be because it is my dominant eye. At my last appointment my prescription was -0.25 in my left and -0.50 in my right. I am extremely happy with the results so far. I still get dry eyes and blurry vision as a result, but that is normal and will last another couple of months. However, this does not get in the way of anything. A lot of people say they wake up the next day with "perfect" vision. It hasn't happened like that for me, but I didn't really expect it to. Although its a quick procedure, your eyeball is cut into and bits of it burnt away!! You have to expect a bit of healing to take place!! I am 100% happy with the results and would definitely recommend the team at Advance Visioncare to anyone. Many thanks to Advance Visioncare and also to the lasik-eyes website.
Harold Carter
Very Efficent and considerate. My surgerey has not yet finally worked. One eye was initially over corrective to slight long sight, then after a second operation it was over corrected the other way & a bit short sighted. We are waiting to see how it settles down before deciding what to do next. But I was very short sighted before, and now I can drive and read bookes without glasses (even though neither process is perfect) and that is a huge improvement.
Jenel Mevlit
Fantastic cusotmer service very thorough throughout from initial consultations to treatment & to post op checks. Very freindly team, felt comfortable safe and was well informed throughout. Been telling everyone to have Lasek surgerey !!!!!
Tristan Davies
After going to Ultralase originally & not being overely imprressed. I found information about Advance VisionCare on the internet. Mr Pillai was honest, approachable & excellent at explaining evereything about the procedure-you really can trust him!!!! I had no hesitation but to sign up for the surgery. My rate of recovery was slower then I expected, but Mr P re-assured me on all my visits. I would definatley recommend HIM!!!!
