Contact Lenses to Monitor Diabetes

Part of my daily routine is putting in contact lenses to correct my near-sightedness. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, approximately 36 million Americans also wear contact lenses.

Wouldn't it be cool if contact lenses did more than correct vision? Scientists at the Google X labs had the same thought.

Image Credit: PopSci

The clandestine research center is developing contact lenses that measure blood-sugar levels in the wearer's tears. This could help the 25.8 million people with diabetes in America replace the invasive process of drawing their own blood to be read by an electronic reader in order to keep track of their glucose levels.

The new design has tiny wireless chips and glucose sensors so small they look like bits of glitter. The antenna, which is thinner than a human hair, is placed in between two lenses which are able to generate a reading once per second. Google is considering adding tiny LED lights that would flash if levels have crossed safe thresholds.

The project was inspired by project leaders Brian Otis and Babak Parviz, who saw a major problem with current care techniques. "People with diabetes must still prick their finger and test drops of blood throughout the day," they said. "It's disruptive, and it's painful. And, as a result, many people with diabetes check their blood glucose less often than they should."

The lenses are being tested at Google[x] and are still in the early phases of development. They are in discussions with the FDA to bring the technology to market.

This might open the door to more uses for contact lenses - hopefully some that makes my morning routine a little easier.