AN AWARD-winning Blackburn optician is offering free eye tests to patients concerned about Macular Degeneration (MD), the most common cause of blindness in the UK.
Philip Jones, who lives in Revidge, Blackburn, was the first optician in the North West to install a macuscope, which detects early warning signs of the disease, at his outlet.
He said: “We come across people suffering from the disease every day.
“And it really affects their lives.
“They struggle to do day-to-day things such as reading, driving and recognising faces.
“We can assist people already suffering from the disease by helping to prevent further loss of sight with the dietary supplements.
“But we’re trying to raise awareness in younger people so that we can hopefully stop them having any problems in later life.”
The disease is by far most common cause of sight loss in the UK.
It affects an estimated 500,000 people who previously had normal vision.
Mr Jones, who was named new optician of the year in 2005, runs an outlet in Carnforth, near Lancaster.
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