AN opticians in Blackburn has unveiled a new £60,000 device to enable them to conduct 3D scans on patients in greater detail than ever before.

Specsavers, in The Mall, has installed an optical coherence tomography machine, which is designed to manage conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.

Ahmed Deshmukh, store director, said: "This investment gives our team the ability to enhance the services to our local community by identifying and helping to detect or manage conditions, with a level of diagnostic capability which previously would have needed a hospital visit."

Structural scans of the eye, akin ultrasound or an MRI, are carried out, including layers not usually visible.