Your 4 Step Treatment Plan

Your first point of contact will be with AVC’s highly trained and knowledgeable patient coordinators. They will assess your suitability over the phone and inform you of your possible treatment options. This will also save your time in rare instances where patients are found to be unsuitable.

Once a consultation is booked, we will send out a confirmation letter with a medical questionnaire. This form should be filled in prior to the initial assessment – it can either be emailed or brought to the consultation.

To provide the most accurate results at your consultation, any contact lens wearers need to ensure their corneas return to their natural shapes by removing any contact lenses in preparation:

• Soft contact lenses– 24 hour removal
• Toric / Astigmatic soft contact lenses (including Kerasoft lenses) – 1 week removal.
• Rigid, Hard and Gas Permeable lenses – 4 week removal.
• Extended wear lenses (sleep-in lenses at night) – No overnight wear for 4 weeks and full removal is dependent on whether they are soft or soft toric contact lenses.
• Lenses that are used at night only to reshape the cornea (ortho K) – 4 week removal.

We recommend that you bring at least two previous prescriptions and any glasses or contact lenses you may have, even if they are old. If your medical questionnaire is not sent by email, we will need you to bring it to your consultation accompanied by any relevant medical records.

Dilating drops will be used at your consultation, therefore you will be unable to drive on the day of your consultation, and we recommend that you bring sunglasses as you will be light sensitive afterwards.

At AVC, we believe that it is essential to be selective to ensure that every patient has the best treatment to suit their visual and lifestyle needs which is why determining suitability is incredibly important. Our consultations will take approximately 2 hours and every patient will undergo a series of comprehensive tests conducted by our experienced refractive optometrists and technicians. Once testing is complete, wherever possible every patient will meet AVC’s Medical Director and lead surgeon Mr Pillai to discuss suitability and to design a truly bespoke treatment plan to fit your personal needs. If Dr Pillai is unavailable, you will be seen by one of our fully trained specialist Optometrists. Any recommendations will be reviewed and confirmed by the surgeon and you will have the opportunity to speak with him either on the phone or at another clinical visit.

On the day of your consultation, dilating drops are used and we recommend that you do not drive on that day. However, someone can accompany you throughout your consultation or pick you up. The drops will last approximately six hours and as well as causing some light sensitivity, will also affect your ability to focus causing near vision to be blurred.

What will happen at your consultation?

You will be met by the expert and friendly team at AVC. We will make this difficult decision feel like a comfortable experience. We will take the time to get to know you and take care of you whilst assessing your visual and lifestyle requirements to ensure that our treatment plan is uniquely designed to perfectly meet all your needs.

During your consultation, the following tests will be carried out:

• Detailed History and Lifestyle Assessment – to ensure the most suitable eye treatment for your needs
• Autorefraction – to objectively measure your prescription
• Cycloplegic Refraction – drops are used to relax your eye muscles and ensure that your prescription is not affected by muscle spasm
• Eye Dominance – to determine which is the dominant eye; this indicates which eye should be treated if monovision or blended vision is recommended for you
• Focimetry – measurement of your current glasses to confirm the strength of the prescription you have been using
• Iris Recognition – a picture is taken to enable the iris recognition system and advanced iris tracker to recognise your eye. This highly sophisticated feature ensures that laser eye treatment is not affected by any eye movement
• Orbscan – a highly sophisticated and detailed corneal mapping scan which gathers information from 9,000 points across your cornea, assessing corneal health, curvature and thickness
• Pentacam – this is the most precise machine available to measure the entire anterior (front) of the eye. The Pentacam provides precise 3-D analysis
• Pachymetry – measures your corneal thickness to establish that there is enough tissue for laser eye surgery
• Pupillometry – pupil size is measured in order to help choose the correct laser setting and to assess the risk of you developing glare following laser eye treatment
• Refraction – subjective verification of your prescription
• Retinal Exam – dilating drops will be used to carry out a retinal check to ensure they are healthy
• Slit Lamp Exam – the anterior structures of your eyes (cornea, conjunctiva, lens, lids and iris) are examined using a microscope and a narrow beam of light
• Tonometry – your internal eye pressure (IOP) is tested to ensure that you are not suffering from raised internal eye pressure which causes glaucoma
• Visual Acuity Testing – this measures your eyes’ ability to see sharpness of detail with and without glasses at both near and far distances
• Zeiss IOL Master – a series of four individual measurements to enable us to map your entire eye (the length, curvature, chamber depth and horizontal iris measurements.
• Zyoptix Wavefront Analyser – This measures individual optical characteristics to check the function of the eye and assess the need for Wavefront laser eye treatment

Once our comprehensive testing is complete, you will meet AVC’s Medical Director and lead surgeon, Dr Pillai, who will determine suitability, answer your questions in detail and give advice on any concerns. You will have the opportunity to ask any questions All risks will be discussed in detail and an information booklet will be provided allowing you to make an informed decision.

Unlike other eye clinics, AVC has both our laser and non-laser theatres under one roof, enabling you to be treated in one convenient location.

On the day of your surgery in our London clinic, you will be greeted by members of our clinical team who will guide you through the process. Drops will be given for use after the procedure and any concerns or questions will be discussed. Once you are prepared for treatment, our specialist nurse will anaesthetise your eye using drops and escort you to the theatre where your treatment will take place.

To achieve the incredible results that our patients acquire, our expert surgeons exclusively use the safest and most advanced technology. Our laser and non-laser theatres comprise of the most advanced and ethically sound technology available. We do not believe in using experimental procedures and only provide treatments that have undergone extensive clinical trials.

Our laser theatre is unique, not only is it the only transparent theatre in Europe and it also houses the most advanced laser equipment available. Our laser theatre is used for the purposes of teaching and allows your loved ones to be present throughout the entire journey. All our Laser vision correction procedures use Advanced Wavefront technology and all Lasik treatments are performed using Intralase blade-free technology, providing the best results and improved recovery time. AVC has the latest excimer available in the country, the Bausch & Lomb Technolas TENEO 317 which is the fastest and most accurate treating laser available in the country, with treatment taking only 3 to 5 seconds per eye!

Our non-laser (Cataract, Lens Replacement and ICL) theatre is the most advanced in the country, the Alcon Refractive suite. It is comprised of three of the most sophisticated pieces of equipment available. Our revolutionary non-laser theatre ensures that our patients experience the safest and most accurate form of non-laser eye surgery with minimal recovery time. The procedure is performed over two consecutive days, where one eye is treated on one day and the second eye is treated the following day. You can go home on the very same day and you will be able to see.

Your aftercare begins immediately after treatment when you are taken to the recovery room to relax and, when you are ready to leave, our specialist nurse will examine you before you go home.

Your first post-operative check is usually conducted within the first two days of treatment but can vary dependent on the procedure (e.g. LASEK is 3 to 5 days). After treatment, you can return to normal life however there are restrictions on certain activities. The more physically exertive the activity or if it is high risk, the longer you will have to wait (the longest amount of waiting time is six weeks after treatment). A full list of any restrictions that may apply will be discussed at your consultation.

At your first check-up, your eyes will be examined by AVC’s senior refractive optometrist or our lead surgeon. Your rate of healing will be assessed and you will be advised about when you can start driving, although it normally takes 24 to 48 hours for your distance vision to settle (this is dependent on the treatment undertaken). If your reading vision is corrected this can take a little longer as it takes some time for the brain to adjust.

Most patients will experience dryness for a short while after laser eye surgery, this can last up to a month and is completely normal given it is part of the healing process of the eye. These symptoms are alleviated by using hydrating drops.

At AVC we pride ourselves on our outstanding patient care, which is why all our patients have access to our incredible aftercare programme, where post-operative checks are conducted at regular intervals throughout the year to keep track of all your visual improvements. These can be conducted at our clinic on Harley Street or locally at one of our partners from our independent optometrist network. AVC’s has the largest independent optometrist network in the country, conveniently enabling our patients from around the country to have world-class treatment without the inconvenience of having to travel to Harley Street.

Your 12 month comprehensive aftercare programme includes:

• Drops – Antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and hydrating drops
• 24 hour post treatment telephone access to AVC’s expert team
• Regular post-operative checks
• Extra post-operative checks are not charged
• Access to the largest independent optometrist network in the country
• Free laser fine tuning (if required)
• Free YAG laser treatment if PCO manifests (for Cataract and Lens Replacement patients)

Once the aftercare program has been completed it is recommended that annual check-ups are attended. These follow ups are charged, £75 with an optometrist and £150 with a surgeon.