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
Lucy Gibbs
AFTER RESIGNING MYSELF TO A LIFE OF CONTACTS & DRY EYES THESE RESULTS ARE FANTASTIC. INITIAL ENQUIRIES ALL SUGGESTED THAT MY STRONG PERSCRIPTION OF -6.25/-2 & -4.75/-2, ASTIGMATISM & UNUSUALLY LARGE PUPILS WERE UNTREATABLE. HOWEVER A COMBINATION OF WAVEFRONT TECHNOLOGY & DR PILLAI'S EXPERTISE HAVE PROVED MORE THAN SUCESSFUL & GIVEN ME MORE THAN 20/20 VISION.
Carol Conway
After previously being rejected by another company, I was excited to be contacted by Advance VisionCare offering me another chance, with new technology, to have my eyes corrected. I had recently started to wear glasses constantly as contacts were damaging my eyes. I couldn't wear sunglasses, go swimming, play sport etc because of my glasses, and of course getting up in the middle of the night was a constant fumble. My treatment was painless & quick, I was well looked after & advised about all aspects of the treatment. Being able to see all the time now seems like a miracle! I would recommend it to anyone who can have it done, & would say don't worry, it really doesn't hurt & I had no discomfort whatsoever. Don't hesitate - DO IT!!
Ashley Brady
Excellent. More than completely satisfied. Previously -4.75 in both eyes, no astigmatism, now perfect sight in both - bottom of the eye charts. No glare, double vision, ghosting or any negative visual side effects. Some slight dryness following the operation that is slowly improving. I decided to do each separately - 3 weeks apart. Apart from the few days before the second eye, this caused no inconvenience and gave me the peace of mind of seeing the results before undergoing the second operation. Mr Pillai was very thorough and assuring during both operations, as well as the check-ups and consultations. For the record, I am 28, working professional (lots of computer work) having worn glasses for 18 years. Aforementioned glasses and remaining disposable contact lenses to be ritually burned shortly. No more tired eyes at night, no more guessing my way around the house, no more blind swimming, no more embarassing pub condensation. Just great!
Mrs L Spargo
I was very fed up with constantly needing either contact lenses or glasses, but I was nervous about having eye treatment as I didn't know anyone personally who had it done. I contacted Advance Vision Care, amongst others, but was very impressed with the results now I have had the surgery done & after just one week I have 100% vision again. Advance VisionCare's professionalism, all the way through has been 100% also. Many thanks for giving me my sight back.
Petrina
I had eye surgery about 8 weeks ago at Advance Visioncare and am very happy to report that I now have a high quality of vision and have achieved a level of 6/5 in each eye. My previous concern with blurry/double images in one eye (reported on my previous entry on 12th Feb) has diminished considerably and my eyesight just continues to improve. I think this goes to show that everyone and every single eye is individual and healing may take longer in one eye than in another. I wholeheartedly recommend Advance Visioncare to anyone considering laser eye surgery. Why go anywhere else when you can have a top UK eye surgeon, the latest and best laser equipment and extensive aftercare at Advance Visioncare!
Mark Field
A scary idea; that combination of 'laser' and 'eyes'. But one of the best things I've ever done. No pain, no complications and the after-care scarsely any worse than with contact lenses. I can't speak highly enough of the service and reassurance I recieved from start to finish. Going camping next week and looking forward to how much easier it's going to be following my wavelength treatment. P.S. my night vision is amazing!
Alan Pindar
I wanted improved vision without glasses for sailing. I still expected to need glasses for day to day work. Intial contact with Classic Eyes Abindon convinced me to use Advance VisionCare but I was unsure of the Local Management Centre so had most earley evaluation & aftercare at Harley St. Staff were very helpful arranging this. Overall treatment exceeded my expectations with almost -10 prescription. Complications with right eye left some over correction but I did not want further treatments. At almost 9 months the left eye is almost perfect & the right is very good. I thought I would still need glasses but none are needed (except for close work in bad light - better than average for my age). I would recommend Mr Pillai to anyone. I have moved to Weymouth and had follow up at Classic Eyes Bournemouth. They gave me excellent service.
LINDA MORDAUNT
I have found it very helpful to be able to telephone with queries post op. My eyesight is extremely good; I have some dryness in the eyes but the gel is helping. as I had cataracts in both eyes I had expected that I might have problems after the operation but I am delighted with the results and cannot speak too highly of the care I have received.
Julie Brennan
I was very pleased with the Service AVC gave me, they were extremely Informative which was Important to me at the time to know everything that was going on. I never had a prolong wait, appointments were always on time. The aftercare has been excellent which I feel is Important AVC seem to care. I am 3 months on now from having my treatment and Im so pleased with the outcome. The aftercare is good as I need th have regular APTS to see how my eyes are Improving. I chat to people I dont even know and tell them Ive had Laser correction and would highly recommend AVC.
Paul
Had wave-front LASIK 2 weeks ago and am utterly amazed at my quality of vision. I was driving standard straight after surgery, very clear vision the next day and vitually 20/20 after 1 week. Now absolutely perfect. No problems with night vision, dryness, close up work, computer work - infact no problems at all! I found the treatment painless - if a little uncomfortable, the staff excellent and, as I say, the result incredible. I was -6.5, not as bad as some I've read on this site, but still virtually blind without glasses. I will recommend AVC to anyone who asks me. I went to a few other places for consultations, but frankly they didnt compare for professionalism, honesty and in giving the impression that your well-being, not your credit card, are really what matter. Everything is explained, every question answered - both by the surgeon and the docs/optimicians. I was a fairly complex case - thin corneas, largish pupils - but Mr Pillai assured me completely that he knew what he was doing, and that he could overcome any difficulties. Clearly, he was right. Feel free to email me if you want to ask any questions.
