A Beccles optician has invested £60,000 on a new machine to detect eye conditions which can lead to visual impairment or blindness.

Optical Coherence Tomography uses lasers to 3D scan the retina and optic nerve helping to detect the treatable wet macular degeneration, early damage in glaucoma and problematic changes in retinopathy.

Martin Storey of Martin Storey Opticians, in Northgate, invested in the technology to help save the sight of local people.

The technology is currently being used by NASA to assess changes to crew members' eyes caused by weightlessness and space flight in order to develop countermeasures to safeguard their vision. The technology is similar to an MRI or CAT scan but specific to the eye and can allow a practitioner to see problems within the eye that could not easily be seen before.

Mr Storey said: 'When I invested in this important technology I thought if it helped save the sight of only one person it would be worth every penny. Since it was installed it has helped save the sight of at least a dozen patients who would have lost their sight to glaucoma or wet macular degeneration and have now been treated.

'This machine measures structures to within a millionth of a metre which is amazing and allows me to monitor patients' eyes with extremely fine detail.

'I would like to thank the loyalty of my patients from in and around Beccles and Bungay as it is their loyalty which has enabled me to invest in this vital equipment.'

The technology is available on request without the need to leave your existing optician as it can be carried out completely separate to a normal eye test. It takes a few seconds and does not make contact with the eye.

The test costs £35 and an appointment can be booked by calling 01502 471915 or dropping into the opticians.

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