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
al kirk
great clinic
Robert Tomkinson
I was 26 when I unfortunately met Dr. Pillai. His team said I was 100% compatible with no issues of dry eyes or astigmatism, just mild short sightedness at -4 in each eye.
My first operation saw my eyesight increase to -1 but I was still short sighted, so I needed a second top up. This worked as I was better than 20:20 but had terrible night vision, halos and starburst, even in the day time, and dry eyes.
6 months later Dr Pillai recommended a 3rd operation called a lift flap and clean to address those issues, which were probably caused by the dryness. I regret taking his advice as this operation made my vision worse, with both eyes deteriorating to less than 20:20, the original issues prevailing and now my eyes have been bloodshot for over 2 months. Note I’ve followed his advice on drops, gels and supplements to the letter.
I was foolish enough to trust AVC due to their branding of being a Harley St. clinic but in reality, having been their customer/experiment for over 18 monts, I know that Dr. Pillai has little compassion, they struggle with high staff turnover, don’t have multiple surgeons as their website claims and most importantly don’t provide a lifetime of after care.
Please think twice about choosing this company. I regret the day I stepped foot in their office.
Eliot235
I had laser treatment with the surgery based on the reviews seen on this website and though i was very pleased with the surgery itself the aftercare customer service i received was terrible. On several occasions i had to wait over 40 mins for my scheduled appointment and the level of aftercare as offered in the brochure was seriously lacking. Overall happy with the surgery but disappointed with the customer care.
Stephanie
The customer service I received before surgery was great, then afterwards it has been quite poor. The surgery itself was over quickly. They do offer patients a sedative if they are really nervous as well. There was quite a bit of pain afterwards that I wasn’t expecting however I did have pain drops. I was given an emergency number to use directly after the surgery during the weekend. When I had complications that weekend, I repeatedly rang this number (no voicemail) and left a message with the answering service. No one phoned me back from either.
6 weeks on and only one eye has good vision, the other is blurry enough to give me headaches. I have left messages for the nurse to call me as apparently this is serious, and still no call back. I will end up camped out on their doorstep in the end.
I have to say, I would not recommend Advance to anyone, regardless of the rather cheerful surgeon. The after-care is almost as important and I have to say it is almost non-existent!
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
Mark
I had Lasek surgery on 14th December after many years of contemplation. I have reviewed the comments on this website and others for a long time and then decided that I cannot learn anything more than I have and that it was time to Act, so, I did, and, I'm glad I did. The surgery truly is painless and even the speculum wasn't to uncomfortable. When the surgeon told me that he had finished the left eye, I couldnt believe it and wanted to ask if he had left something out but he might have thought that a touch insulting. After the surgery I had light sensativity for about 6 hours but no pain and that was a relief because I had expected a lot of pain with this procedure but there was none. I was told I had driving standard by the 4 day check up. My vision is a little blurry at times but I can still read small print and it is still slowly improving. I took advantage of the pay nothing till Easter which was really handy. I thought the price of £2800 in total was a little high but I was not prepared to compromise with my vision and wanted someone with experience and a good track record, Dr Pillai AVC. In the long term the price is still cost effective if you calculate contact lens + Cleaners + spectacles + test. It really is wonderful not to have to wear spectacles or contacts, although I still habitualy keep reaching for them. My advice to anyone thinking about having it done is research until you personally are satisfied you know enough about the surgeon, the company, the risks, beneifts and drawbacks of the surgery. Ask to speak with people who have had the surgery, I have had a lot of support from this website. Speak with the surgeon about realistic expectations and outcomes. Do not go for the cheapest option, although for most of us money is a factor. Think more about the track record of the surgeon, sucesses and also the quality of after care. Although most reviews about laser surgery are positive, this treatment does come with risk because it is still surgery. I am still hoping for a little more improvement in the quality of my vision, a it has only been about 3 weeks. So far, I am satisfied with my procedure and am glad I had it done. I would reccommend Advance Vision Care and Dr Pillai and his team.
Sharad Vohra
The entire experience from the consultation appointment till the surgery was fantastic. The entire team at Advance VisionCare are professional, qualified and do as a fantastic job in my walking you through the entire procedure and what to expect on the day of the treatment. It was very comforting to know that a Surgeon of the calibre of Mr Pillai performance the treatment & the aftercare procedures. I would recommend anyone considering laser eye correction to consider Advance VisionCare.
Sarah Jones
I have just gone a year since having surgery, and my eyes are still 20/20. I have had no trouble with them at all, and the service has been great. My only gripe is being left with the contacts in for three days after surgery when it says in the brochure you should only have them in for one day. They were agony, and it meant I couldn't see or move all weekend. On removal my eyesight was perfect however. Definitely recommend - it's a great company, and a great experience from start to finish. Felt no nerves or pain during the surgery at all, and my mum and sister were able to watch and found it fascinating! Only reason I have marked down the price is my company offers 20% discount and I didn't know this at the time, and they might have mentioned the discount to me when I was filling information out :) Saying that - it was worth EVERY penny, and I have been hounding friends and families to get it done ever since.
Tomoko
Had the first operation about a year ago and the result was quite poor on one eye - ended up with astigmatism (double vision, distortion, etc.), which I did not have before the operation. Went through two corrections over the next 8 months and now, one year later from the initial operation, the vision is OK but still not 100% satisfactory. I must say, though, that it is nice to be able to live without depending on contact lenses.
Baerbel Christou
I am very happy about my treatment 6 month ago. The customer service was excellent. I felt in safe hands with the surgeon and his team. I was unlucky and needed an enhancement. This risk was explained to me beforehand and I understand it is just due to the sometimes unpredictable healing process of your cornea.My vision now is excellent. I would recommend this procedure to friends and family.
Ian Herbert
My Treatment has been perfect from start to finish. I have no negative comments to make on any aspect of my case.
