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
Ian
I had wavefront performed on me 3 weeks ago and am very happy with the results. I found the operation itself quite painful due to having high cheekbones which caused problems with the clamps. On the whole I would recommend this clinic to anyone thinking of having the op.
LESLEY SHIPSEY
Came to see Mr Pillai as I needed to pass a medical and knew that with my current shortsightedness-6.25 lefteye-5 Right eye this would be a problem! I had Lasek wave front treatment two and a half weeks ago and the results are fantastic. I now have 20/20 vision in each eye something. I never dreamed of having without the use of lenses or gasses. I would recommend anyone to come here to see Mr Pillai and my husband is now hoping to have the same treatment done in the future.
M.Ahmed
The services offered were beyond my expectation. I was very sceptical about the treatment as I rely mainly on my vision for a living but Advance Vision Care were very understanding and supporting and offered me a realistic expectation and more reliable one. I would recommend anyone to them. I have now achieved 20/20 vision and do not have to wear glasses. Thanks to their professional work.
SAQLAIN MUSHTAQ
I am a professional test cricketer from Pakistan and I also play for Surrey. I came for a regular check-up and found out shortsighted. My optician recommended wave front lasik Surgery for me. I was hesitant but I still went along. I went to Advance Vision Care and found Dr Pillai and the staff reassuring, now after three months, I feel very good, and I am amazed with my progress of my sight.
Philippa Crome
Decided to try Advance Visioncare after being unimpressed with initial contact with Boots at Bluewater, and reading the excellent reviews on this site. Prescription -4.75, -3.50. with -2.25 astigmatism in both eyes. My best-corrected vision with glasses wasn't brilliant, only reading the driving standard line at best. Went for initial consultation on the 30/7/2004, was there for 4 hours, all very thorough to make sure all the results tallied correctly. Advised to have the Wavefront due to having many higher order aberrations that was reducing quality of vision. Corneal thickness slightly above average, which was good. Had complete faith in Mr. Pillar and his support staff throughout. Relaxed quite setting which was nice while having the tests. Booked operation for 17/8/2004. Day of operation quite nervous but the provide Valium tablet helped! The operation went fine taking about 30 minutes in total my Husband watched the entire procedure behind the glass partition. Was given the various aftercare medication and the nurse carefully explained all the details. As I live outside the M25 my Husband & I were entitled to a free overnight stay in a local hotel (very nice I might add). This was great as you don't feel like doing a lot of traveling straight after. That evening had a bit of pain in one eye but the provided painkillers worked a treat. Watched a bit of TV, quite blurry vision at this point. Didn't get watery or itchy eyes at all. Following day went back to the clinic for the 24-hour checkup. Had the protective contact lenses removed, all fine. Eyesight checked and could read the driving standard, which was excellent considering this was by BCV before the op. At home the following week no real problems, no dry/itchy eyes occasional bit of eyestrain. My left eye was slight better than my right, at about a week later my right improved to be better than my left! At the one-week checkup I could read a line below the driving standard that I had never done before. Just had the 6 week checkup and can now read some of the letters two lines below the driving standard now -0.25 in both eyes with virtually no astigmatism. My vision driving at night is better than it’s ever been before. Overall excellent service, my thanks to Mr. Pillai and his staff.
Zoe Woodhams
Throughout the consultation, operation and aftercare I feel much looked after and in the care of caring professionals. All of the consultants were friendly and efficient and explained everything thoroughly. I was made to feel at ease during the operation and felt very well cared for when the consultant rang me the same night at home to check how I was. They have been there always to answer any worries I might have had and make sure that my eyes are perfect which they now are. I have gone from an under confident short-sighted person to a confident 120% visioned person who can swim under water with eyes open-not much to some people, but wonderful for me.
Paula Sumray
The service received at Advance Vision Care was excellent. Everything was explained in detail and all questions regarding progress and aftercare were fully answered. My prescription was (-8)+(-9) and I could not get out of BEO without my glasses. Now one year on, I have 20/20 vision and I am delighted. This progress has changed my life! I wore glasses for thirty years and now I do not know myself. My thanks to the wonderful Dr Pillai and his team
keiron roche
My vision which was-6.00-6ts is now 20/20 and I have suffered no reaction to the treatments. I would recommend Advance Vision Care to anyone considering having eye treatment. The service and care from start to finish has been excellent.
David Lucke
Its been 8 weeks since I had the op done. I was 7 and 7.25 diopters shortsighted, with a slight astigmatism. I had a consulation at Advance VisionCare after initially trying Boots and Ultralase, neither of whom impressed me very much. Ultralase's wavefront measurement calculated my vision to be a diopter worse than it was, and Boots refused to treat me because my pupils were so wide, and then casually mentioned that they didn't have wavefront at that clinic anyway, I'd have to go all the way out to Bluewater for that. In contrast, Advance VisionCare seriously impressed me with their pressionalism and dedication to getting absolutely perfect results - if Ultralase got a dodgy result they shrugged their shoulders and carried on, eventually deciding just not to do the Wavefront at all. The people at Advance VisionCare threw out and repeated anything that they weren't happy with until they had a set of perfect results. It was this attention to detail that got me, as well as the amount of stuff they explained, examining the wavefront disagrams, explaining what the thickness of my corneas meant, how much the laser would remove, and how that was affected by my pupil size, and so on. I had the op. It went well (though my very strong blink reflex made things tricky). Immediately after the op, Dr Pillai tested my eyes, and despite the post-op wateriness and general unclearness, I was already better than driving standard. I tested that less than 48 hours later, with a 6 hour round trip drive to the Welsh border and back. Everything went fine. Now I'm +.25 and -.25, and very happy indeed. I'm working in front of a high resolution computer screen full time without glasses, and don't expect to need them. The only problems have been the expected side-effects: glare, which hasn't been bad enough to interfere with night drinving since the first week or so, and which appears to be getting better (though so slowly its difficult to judge); and dry eyes, which I have been controlling with drops. The first set of drops worked, but only for an hour or so if I was using computers, so Dr Pillai switched me on to gel based equivalent, which have been much better, and which I really can use just 3-4 times a day (or once a day if I'm not using computers). What else can I say? I'm very happy I got the surgery, very happy I got it done at Advance VisionCare, and would happily recommend it to anyone.
Paul Willmott
I never give anything 5 stars unless they take their clothes off. I had LASIK with Maxivision 2 years ago. They did not have wavefront. One eye was good the other bad. I had a flap lift on the bad eye one week later, still no good. three months later, just after Maxivision went pop, an enhancement. This was better but still had 0.75 astigmatisim and 0.25 short sighted. In the end I went back to wearing glasses. Optimax tuned me away and would not even talk to me Ultralayse in Guildford did all the wavefront tests but refused to help. Dr Pillai Improved my vision by nearly 6 lines in the bad eye, expressing his surprise that nobody else could do it. My bad eye is nearly as good as my good one, if you see what I mean, and is still improving. ..............enough said Thanks Doc. And thanks to every one at Advanced Vision care
