Mr. C.T. Pillai - AVC's Medical Director

Mr.C.T.Pillai is one of the most respected and experienced consultant laser refractive surgeons in the UK, and has carried out more than 20,000 procedures.

With 19 years of ophthalmic experience in the UK, India and the USA (at the prestigious South Western Medical School, University of Texas), Mr.C.T.Pillai is one of the most highly trained surgeons in the country. Throughout his career he has carried out a number of complex and unique surgeries that include Cataracts, glaucoma and corneal grafting. He was also one of the first Consultants to perform bilateral Lasik surgery in the UK and receive two fellowships in refractive and corneal surgery.

As the founder and Medical Director at AVC, Mr.C.T. Pillai has continued to set the standard within the industry by employing only the very latest surgical techniques using state of the art technology while providing patient care that is second to none.

AVC is known for treating patients who are turned down by other clinics, and also those who have suffered complications from other surgeries in the UK and abroad. Mr.C.T. Pillai strongly believes in the principle that each patient requires highly personalised care and the best of clinical expertise.

Visit our website to find out more about Mr.C.T. Pillai, our bespoke patient care and our pricing packages.

Professor Martin Filipec

Professor Filipec is a surgeon at AVC, a member of the AVC medical advisory board, and a leading Ophthalmologist in the Czech Republic with an international reputation. Filipec studied in France before moving to Harvard to qualify as a professor. In 1989 he returned to Prague, where he was appointed as the first Professor of Ophthalmology at Charles University. To this day he continues to describe this as one of the proudest moments of his life, and a great honour.

Filipec went on to be one of the first professionals to establish a private corrective eye clinic in Prague - The Lexum Clinic. His practice has continued to grow from strength to strength, and today has over 30 surgeons and 100 staff working under his leadership. With two centres (one in Prague and one in Bruno), The Lexum Clinic are no doubt the leaders of eye care in the Czech Republic, and they continue to train numerous aspiring eye surgeons across Eastern Europe.

Filipec has written and co-written over 350 lectures, 51 scientific publications and four textbooks and treaties. His areas of expertise include eye microsurgery, Cataract Surgery, corneal transplants and laser and corneal refractive surgery.

Dr Goran Helgason

Dr Helgason is a surgeon at AVC, and a member of the AVC medical advisory board. He performs Implantable Contact Lens procedures, Lens Exchange procedures and Cataract Surgery with multifocal IOL.

Dr Helgason graduated from Gothenburg University, Sweden, in 1984. He became a Consultant Ophthalmologist in 1991, specialising in anterior segment eye surgery. In 1996 he joined Medocular Eye Clinics, one of Sweden's best refractive surgery practices. Helgason has written numerous peer reviewed papers, and has presented his work at the most prestigious Ophthalmic conferences all over the world.

Dr Helgason's most recent achievement has been his appointment as an international course instructor and medical advisor for STAAR Surgical, a leading manufacturer of ICL lenses. Dr Helgason is a big advocate of ICL lenses; he chose to have the Implantable Contact Lenses treatment himself.

Dr Helgason said of the decision: 'After years of implanting ICLs into the eyes of my patients, I became awkward talking to them about vision correction while wearing spectacles myself. Gradually, my patients convinced me that ICL works so well and I thought: Why shouldn't I use it for myself, even with only low myopia? In the summer of 2004 I had bilateral surgery which only took 30 minutes and went perfectly. I didn't feel anything. The very next day I was back to work. As a surgeon, I rely on an excellent quality of vision in my daily work. My sight now is even better than I expected.'