Mr Pillai is the Medical Director at Advance Vision Care (AVC), which he founded back in 2003. Today, he is considered one of UK’s most respected, highly trained and experienced Consultant Refractive Surgeons.
With over 25 years’ experience under his belt, Mr Pillai has personally performed over 30,000 eye surgeries – more than many other ophthalmologists. He is also licenced to practice both in the UK and the USA, after having worked for years with the NHS, and in Indian eye hospitals.
As one of the first eye surgeons in the country to conduct bilateral LASIK (bladeless eye surgery on both eyes), Mr Pillai still performs all laser procedures at AVC.
1. Qualifications
Today, Mr Pillai is a Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCO), as well as the Royal College of Surgeons, and is registered with the General Medical Council (GMC). Membership of these bodies signals a stamp of approval within the ophthalmology industry.
Mr Pillai’s Formal Qualifications:
- 1990: Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists
- 1989: Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
- 1988: Diploma in Ophthalmology, Royal College of Surgeons, Glasgow
- 1982: Diploma in Ophthalmology, Madras University, India
- 1980: Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, Madras University, India
Mr Pillai’s Professional Affiliations:
- Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCO – UK)
- Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh
- British Society of Refractive Surgery (BSRS – UK)
- British Medical Association (BMA)
- American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO – UK)
- Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO – USA)
- American Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS – USA)
- International Society of Refractive Surgery (ISRS)
- European Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ESCRS)
What’s more, Mr Pillai is one of the few eye surgeons in the UK to receive a Fellowship in both Corneal and in Refractive Surgery: one at the University of Texas in the USA; and the other at The Queen Victoria Hospital in the UK.
And – as you would expect from someone who founded his own private practice – he is helping to innovate laser eye surgery technology through collaboration with the Technolas group think tank.
2. Experience
After working as an NHS Consultant for five years, Mr Pillai founded his own private clinic, AVC, in 2003. In addition to performing laser eye surgery himself, Mr Pillai still finds the time to present at international conferences, publish in peer-reviewed journals, and help train other surgeons in the UK.
Quite a few accolades help Mr Pillai stand out. Rare among them is his pioneering of the co-management approach. He gathered a network of clinical partners (all of whom are experienced and accredited optometrists) in England to act as a referral base for initial consultation and aftercare.
As a result, patients are able to receive qualified advice on their eye conditions, from an optometrist close to home. This is part of the AVC’s focus on personalised patient care.
Area of expertise:
- Corneal neovascularization (CNV), or the growth of new blood vessels in the eye
- Amniotic membrane transplantation
- Specular microscopy in uveitis
- Excimer laser surgery (such as LASIK and LASEK)
- Dry eye conditions
3. Mr C. T. Pillai Review: The Verdict
So, is Mr Pillai the right eye surgeon for you? Of course, that all depends on where you live, and what you’re looking for.
If you’re seeking laser eye surgery in London, you’ll be pleased to know Mr Pillai operates largely in the Harley Street AVC Clinic. Plus, Lasik Eyes reviewers comment on his compassionate, personable approach.
But depending on your budget, you may like to shop around. In any case, it’s always worth trying to meet your surgeon at an initial consultation to establish a good connection before the surgery.
☝ To find a top-rated laser eye surgery clinic near you, just click here to use our simple quote tool, and receive a tailored match and quote from a clinic you can trust.
Mr C.T. Pillai Reviews
Kate Gibson
It is only now a year since having my treatment, that I have got around to completing this feed back. All I need to say is that I never thought that a) I would be suitable for laser treatment (being -8 in both eyes) and b) I would ever go through with it. But I am so glad I have!The staff at AVC are so calm and reassuring that even though you feel panicky, they completely put you at ease and you know that you are in safe hands.I have just had my final check up and my vision is better than Mr Pillai Predicted – 20/20 in each eye with combined vision of 20/17 (better than 20/20 vision) in both eyes together. Amazing!I would thoroughly recommend both AVC and Laser to anyone who is considering it. Your life will never be the same again.
Zeinegul Salimova
I always wanted to do corrective eye surgery and be able to see my daughter’s cheeky smile in the morning, but I was delaying the decision for years. I chose Advanced Vision Care as my optician recommended Mr Pillai. Pawel Marcinkowski, who dealt with my appointments and assisted during the surgery, was always friendly and highly professional. He and Mr Pillai answered my questions and concerns. I made a decision to go ahead with the surgery when I was told that if the eyesight does not improve after the surgery, the clinic will do a corrective surgery free of charge and continue providing aftercare. This was important for me as my eyesight was really bad (big minus and astigmatism on both eyes), therefore I needed this reassurance. The surgery was quick and painless. I could see well almost immediately. After three months Mr Pillai advised me to have a corrective surgery as my eyesight was not settled. The corrective surgery was even quicker than the first one. I am very happy with the result and recommend AVC to everyone with bad eye sight. One of my friends had his surgery done at AVC after I told him about my experience. I know that if I have any concerns about my eyesight, I can always call Pawel for advice. But I am sure, I would not have any concerns 🙂 The happiest person is my daughter as now I can see her well without glasses.
Lord Jobling
I was particularly impressed by the thoroughness of my initial consultation; an inconsistency between my spectacle prescription and actual measured condition was checked three times! (and by different people). I was greatly reassured by this, and by the care and attention given to me, bearing in mind that at that stage I had not made a commitment to continue. On the treatment day (I was fortunate to have this only three days after the initial consultation) I was treated wonderfully, I felt little discomfort, and enjoyed first class vision immediately following the procedure. One thing did come as a suprise, that is after about 2hrs my eyes were running so much, even with eyes shut, that it took quite an effort of will to actually open them, let alone put drops in! I guess it was just the brightness... All settled well & by the evening I was able to enjoy a first class meal and, of course, a few celebratory drinks!
Mrs J Brewer
The standard of service was excellent and everything was explained thoroughly. In addition the surgery was quick, pain free, and the results have been outstanding. The optician at my aftercare centre has expressed that my results are one of the best that he has seen. Dr Pillai also performed my husband's and best friend's two years ago so I already had an immense ampount of faith in him but this has certainly been significantly increased.
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 .
allison Hill
I would thoroughly recommend this clinic to anyone thinking of having laser surgery. Mr Pillai and his staff could not have been more helpful and informative, and took time to ensure that all my questions were answered. I am delighted with the results achieved (although I do now need reading glasses.) The procedure is painless, and, in my opinion, well worth undertaking for the end results.
simon Mcguire
This is something I have thought about for a long time, but put off as I was not 100% convinced about the safety and the time was never convenient.I had a –5.0 and –4.5 prescription with a slight astigmatism. Three months later I am 0.25 and 0.25. Great! The various clamps used in the surgery were a little painful, whilst the laser was only mildly uncomfortable. Dr Pillai is a cheerful and straightforward guy and I would highly recommend him.5/5. Thanks.
Susan Penrose
I just wanted to add my positive comments here - I had my surgery 2 days ago(the results are wonderful). I have felt confident throughout that Mr Pillau is well experienced, highly skilled and cares about his results. And I like his professionalism, approachability and emphasis on personally seeing the patient from beginning to end.
Mrs Paula Sumray
I cannot recommend Dr Pillai highly enough. I had surgery 15 months ago and have gone from a prescription of (-8) and (-9) respectively, to perfect vision. The Wavefront procedure, as you can imaagine, has changed my life and Dr Pillai and his team could not have been more helpful throughout my consultation, operation and follow-up care. Many many thanks.
M.Ali
I cannot thank Mr Pillai enough for the fantastic results, from approx. -7.75 with mild astigmatism in both eyes to what I consider perfect vision. I am due to attend my 6 week after-care check up on 4 March, so not sure of precise prescription at this stage but it is nothing short of miraculous to be able to see so clearly with my own two eyes!The Lasik wave-front procedure was not at all painful, just a mild discomfort and some regular drops for a week after. As I have mentioned numerous times to friends, it truly was less painful and uncomfortable than being in a dentist's chair. I could see immediately afterwards and the next day had better than driving standard results, even using my P.C. by that evening. The after-care is superb, with a follow up call by the team later in the day. I highly recommend the Lasik wave-front surgey performed by Mr Pillai.
