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
kerri bracewell
I found the information supplied very clear and concise. The stuff has been particularly helpful and professional at all tries. I could not be happier with the treatment and after treatment care.
elaine rollings
At every stage of the process the team were very professional and had on excellent knowledge of what was happening. They were able to answer any questions/concerns that I had and put me completely at ease.
philip tarr
The service I received from Advance Vision Care was professional, careful and caring. I felt as though I was in safe hands at every stage. ‘Excellent.’
neil ray
Excellent service, well explained. Before and during procedure. Good follow up care. Highly recommended
David Gilmour
Very good service and excellent aftercare. Procedure was easy, quick and completely pain free. I was most surprised that when I awoke the next morning I could see perfectly without glasses.
louise flemwell
Today was my one-year check up after my surgery and I contrive to have 20-20 vision. For me it is the best thing I have ever done. The staff and surgeon are all helpful and put you at ease from day 1, anything you ask, they will answer. If anyone is thinking of having this done, then go for it. Thank you Advance Vision Care!
marion Madden
I had some initial watering from my left eye and a slight infection. I was looked after by the doctor and nurse extremely well. I was seen to check everything was clearing up much more than the usual aftercare session. This gave me great comfort.
Pauline Lowry
I would have written something sooner but I've been busy: Walking in the rain, taking food out of the oven, swimming and body boarding with my children and learning to play Rugby, not to mention looking at my clock in the night. Anyone who wears glasses will know how they interfer with all these activites! As for the procedure day itself, the girl being treated after me was having corrective surgery following a poor job by another clinic. That speaks volumes for Mr Pillai's abilities. Apart from feeling like I'd peeled a bag of onions for a few hours afterwards there was nothing to it. Please don't be tempted to save a few pounds by going with a cheaper company, it really isn't worth risking your eyesight for. I doubt that anyone can improve on the personal service I received from Advance Visioncare.
Vasos Constanti
After extensive searching on various websites with different eye surgery clinics I decided to have a free consultation with Dr Pillai. After my appointment, I left feeling not like another number but by someone who genuinely wanted to help me and had a passion to better my eye site. As I am a fanatic sports person, having the option to play sports without contacts was a great feeling. The surgery was quick and easy and I felt comfortable throughout the process pre and post care was fantastic as the whole team made me feel comfortable. I even got a phone call 3 hours after surgery to see if I was OK. Opting to have eye surgery is scary enough, however having been treated like I was by Dr Pillai and his team my doubts were eased away. I would recommend this service to anyone.
Bob Neate
I thought I would leave it a while before giving feedback - I am surprised to find that my 1 year post-op appointment is next week!. How time slips by. I had been monitoring Laser correction for years. I wore glasses, then GP contacts from the age of 7 and hated it. However, I was extremely short-sighted at -10.75 and -10.5 with astigmatism of about 1.5 per eye, consequently I was outside the safely treatable range until recently. With the technology advances made in recent years I decided to book some consultations and entered dialogue with some leading surgeons by email. I decided on Advance Vision Care for a couple of reasons: - The initial consultation was the most thorough, it felt 'medical' rather than 'sales' - I was introduced to the surgeon, Mr. Pillai. Nice man, clearly very bright, but also very delicate hands...felt good for micro surgery - Despite having the opportunity to take my money straight away Mr. Pillai told me to wait a couple of months as he was aware of planned algorithm changes to the software that should give me a more secure outcome. I liked that approach. - The zyoptix system had the best results for high myopia under the independent FDA tests. -I would not entrust my eyes to a high street conveyor belt process. I wanted a surgeon with lots of experience and credentials. There are plenty of descriptions available about the procedure so I will not bore, except to say that it was quick, efficient, not as uncomfortable as a trip to the dentist, BUT in an anxiety league all of its own - eyes are precious! The outcome: long-term - fantastic. I see better than 20:20 on the charts with both eyes. But more importantly how does this translate into real life vision which is different from the laboratory. Hopefully the following gives a realistic view that will be helpful: Mr Pillai warned me that with my extreme myopia not to expect 'miracle' vision the next day. It took almost a week before my vision begun to feel settled, though after 3 days I was able to go to the cinema and marvel at seeing without glasses. I suffered a little from 'starbursts' and 'double vision' at night. This settled very quickly though. Now I barely notice it - and my night vision is more than good enough. Like most people I had dry-eyes, but nothing Viscotears drops 4 times a day could not cope with. I begun to forget to take the drops after a couple of months. I do not need them at all now, except if I get dehydrated through too much vino! My main impact is that I now get floaters in one eye (a sort of shadow that you notice when you move your eye, due to viscosity changes in the 'jelly' that fills the eye). These are common in people of my age, but I did not notice them before. I suspect, but cannot prove, that the suction thingy used in the procedure accelerated the onset. However, whilst they are noticeable they do not affect either my pleasure at being able to see unaided, or the visual accuity I get. Real vision is not like charts. I believe I got slightly better correction with GP contact lenses, but not with glasses. However, lenses often got dirty and with age were becoming more uncomfortable (despite having worn them for 25 years). My vision now is very good for everyday use. No smudging or 'tunnel vision'. No bits of grit under lenses. I wake up in the morning and can clearly read the time on the small digital clock on the other side of my bedroom, about 8 feet away. To put that into context, before the operation I literally could not focus more than about 6 to 8 inches in front of my nose. Clear vision has quickly become the norm for me such that I do not think about it much - but every now and then I am awestruck by how much better life is as a result. So overall - I am delighted and still view it (pun deliberate) as the best money I have spent. Please note though I am fortunate, I minimised risk by ensuring that I had a skilled surgeon using the best equipment for my particular myopia, but I also had the little bit of luck with healing profiles etc. necessary for a great outcome. I never advise anyone to have the procedure as you need to assess the risks for yourself. However, if having done your research you want to proceed further I would recommend you include the AVC team and Mr Pillai as one of the centres you visit for a consultation. I found them excellent.
