LONDON , England ( CNN ) -- Blind women are being trained to use their sensitive touch to help detect breast cancer earlier and more precisely than doctors . The blind assistants use tape strips with braille coordinates to accurately locate cancerous lumps . The program , called `` Discovering Hands , '' is the brainchild of German gynecologist Dr. Frank Hoffmann . Two years ago , he created Braille strips as a system of orientation , allowing the blind to carry out breast examinations . Using these strips blind women are trained to become Medical Tactile Examiners ( MTUs ) because they are more able to detect smaller lumps than sighted doctors . Hoffman argues that because of their disability , the blind can possess a more acutely developed sense of touch , which has proved to be a valuable asset in breast examinations . Once the strips are placed along specific areas of the breast , they are then used to report a precise location to the doctor as the MTU reads their Braille coordinates . `` We are turning a disability into a gift , '' Dr. Hoffmann told CNN . `` It 's like the game Battleship , '' he added . `` You have the exact location . '' A study at the Essen University 's women 's clinic , Germany , concluded that MTUs found more and smaller tumors than doctors in 450 cases . The identification of smaller lumps allows earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment . Another advantage of having MTUs is that they are able to dedicate more time to examining a patient . Dr. Hoffman said he had previously been able to spend only a few minutes on each examination due to his other commitments , whereas MTUs can commit half an hour . Training takes place at the BFW occupational school in Düren , west Germany , a center for those who are no longer able to continue their profession because of visual impairment or blindness . So far , ten blind women have qualified as MTUs . One of the women , Marie-Luise Voll , 57 , told CNN : `` The work brings me a lot of joy . '' Voll had previously practiced as a nurse before losing her sight in 2007 , but used the experience when training at Düren for her new role . The highly personal nature of the procedure means that only women will be trained . The MTUs report to the doctor - for whom they act as an assistant not a replacement - who then uses this information as part of their ultimate diagnosis . If an abnormality is located the doctor will decide how to proceed , with ultrasounds and mammography being the most frequent course of action . The testing phase of the project between 2006 and 2008 has now been completed in Germany . The hope is that twenty trained MTUs will qualify every year after 2010 . The program has been acclaimed as a success by both patients and practitioners in Germany . Health services in Europe including Ireland , France , Denmark and Austria have also registered interest in starting an equivalent of their own , Hoffman said .
Blind women being trained to use their sensitive touch to detect breast cancer lumps . Called Medical Tactile Examiners , they can spend more time on patients . The 'Discovering Hands ' program takes place at a school in Düren , west Germany .