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
Daniel Graham
After a lot of homework and extensive research I decided on AVC. The treatment and care I received was outstanding. All the staff made me feel at ease and very relaxed. Dr Pillai and Cassie were superb during my surgery and everything went better than I could have ever imagined. I am absolutely delighted with the results and the after care has been excellent too. Eye laser surgery has changed my life for the better and all the credit goes to AVC. I was very impressed with the service from start to finish and would recommend Advance Visioncare to everyone and have done so already. Many thanks to Mr Pillai and the Advance Visioncare team.
Cathy
I had my eyes treated with LASEK by Mr Pillai and I am extremely happy with the results. Having been short-sighted most of my life and with a prescription of -7.5 and -6.0 I wondered how good my results could be. 2 months on I have what seems like perfect vision (appearently I am a teeny bit long-sighted now, but I really can't tell) and can read all the lines on the optician's chart (even the one 3 lines below the 20/20 vision line!) and have no dryness or pain at all.The treatment itself was totally painless, and the only pain I had was for a couple of hours the evening of the treatment. That was helped by sitting in the dark and using the drops I was given - by 7pm I was up and about and out appreciating my night in London with a nice meal.I would definitely recommend having LASEK and if you are going to go for it, then you could not find a better surgeon than Mr Pillai - he is reassuring, helpful and according to my husband who was watching, has amazingly steady hands!
Vicky Powell
Mr Pillai performed Lasik surgery on my eyes in early August and now at nearly the end of September my vision is almost 20/20 and improving all the time. Throughout the entire process from consultation to aftercare he has been wonderfully reassuring and treated me excellently and with complete professionalism. I've been kept informed about the entire process from start to finish. I would have no hesitiation in recommending him to anyone interested in having corrective surgery and I'm a journalist!!! I'm just so glad I had the operation done, it's really had a big impact on me already, never was aonyone so glad to get rid of their glasses. Big thank you to Mr Pillai.
Jan Thomson
Mr Pillai and his team were excellent. I went to him following extensive research (including this web site) and was extremely satisfied. I had LASEK and although I had a problem with recovery of my left eye (now sorted) I would not hesitate to recommend Mr Pillai.
David Chaloner
My brother and I were both very short sighted. We have been doing lot of research into laser surgery, for some years. One of our relatives works in the industry, and hence it helped us to find out more in detail . Two important things played a part in our decision.The best and the latest laser, and a reputable surgeon. We settled for the Bausch & Lomb laser, as it is the longest established laser in Europe. The latest Z100 has some unique features, and is also the fastest laser. We chose Mr Pillai as our surgeon, due to his reputation and importantly the continuity of care offered by advance vision care.You can see the surgeons whenever you want. My prescription was about -10 D, and I underwent WAVE FRONT LASEK procedure in both eyes. Mr Pillai used some special drops to prevent haze formation post operatively, due to my high prescription .I believe the special drug is used in the USA commonly, and Mr Pillai is one of the few surgeons to use it in Europe. I was given a very realistic expectations due to my high prescription , but even so I am overjoyed with my results. After four days ( when the contact lens was removed ) , I could drive my car for the first time in my life, without my glasses ??? I have full trust in AVC as they are a dedicated and very professional clinic team, and there was no hard sell at any point. My advice to all of you - Don't be afraid of laser surgery but do your research - choose a good surgeon and a clinic with a reputable laser and most of all the COST should not be the deciding factor
Daniel Bull
After months of research into the treatment I was recommended to AVC, and the professional work of Mr Pillai and his staff.From the first phone call I was made at ease, and this continued to date (6 weeks).At present I have 20/20 vision in both eyes, and hardly any dryness. It would be without hesitation that I would recommend Mr Pillai and his staff for such an important treatment procedure. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at AVC for all the care and attention I received.
David Blackman
I have to say that I think the level of service and care that I have so far received at the Harley Street Clinic from Mr Pillai and his associates is exemplary and I cannot imagine any way in which it could be improved. I would like to draw particular attention to the way in which I was 'talked through' the operation itself, which I found to be very reassuring.In the interests of feeding back some experiences of a typical patient, I'd like to make the following points;1. The bright light examination following the dilation drops on the day of the suitability consultation was more painful than anything during the operation.2. It would help to be shown a picture of what the pattern will look like during the operation, and where to fix one's stare.3. The way Mr Pillai holds the head when the laser is firing is very reassuring.
Malcolm Dixon
I have been looking at laser surgery for couple of years, and when I had my consultation with Mr Pillai 6 months ago, I was advised that due to my prescription I was not suitable for Laser Surgery.My prescription is -16 in both eyes, but he advised me that the Implantable Contact Lens will get rid of all my prescription, and will have a good vision without glasses.I waited for 6 months for the service to be organized at Advance VisionCare, and I am very happy I did so, as I was operated by one of the leading professors in Europe. One week after the surgery in both eyes my vision is close to 20/20. It is difficult to explain how thrilled I am to be able to drive a car without my glasses. I used to struggle, and it was very difficult and expensive to get glasses or contact lenses for my prescription.I think this new technology of ICL is god sent – it really works for people like me, with high prescription, who can not have Laser treatment. Thank You!
Jennifer Convey
Mr Pillai is obviously very busy, but never makes you feel rushed. He puts you at ease, and gives you confidence to trust him. All the staff are very helpful, even when I returned home and unfortunately had a reaction to my artificial tears. They kept in touch to find out how I was doing, and were very courteous. Even though my outcome is not monovision as was expected, I am still very happy and hopeful that my right eye will improve further.Thank you, Mr Pillai for my new vision.
elicia
I had my surgery performed by Mr Pillai on the 28th November 2001 (Before this web site was set up and why I'm posting so late).All I can say is Wow! Nearly seven years later and despite turning 40 last year my eyes are still 20/20 and I cannot thank Mr Pillai enough. he is a top class surgeon but very human and explained everything clearly and in English - none of the usual jargon.Very highly recommended!
