3D eye scans widely used in high street opticians could help to identify people at high risk of developing Parkinson’s disease up to seven years before they have symptoms, data has suggested.

The finding added to growing evidence that the use of eye scan data could help to detect neurodegenerative diseases and followed recent studies suggesting that the technique could help to identify early signs of Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia. This emerging field of research, known as “occulomics”, is also being investigated as a means of identifying individuals with a propensity for cardiovascular disease or diabetes.