Google has its eye on measuring glucose

Google, the company responsible for finding most of what anyone looks for on the internet, has set it’s eyes on a new target: diabetes. The company has just announced it’s newest project, a smart contact lens, which can analyse the biochemistry of your tears to measure blood glucose levels. By ameliorating the inconvenience and pain of using finger prick testing, Google hopes to bolster regular checks and aid strict blood glucose control.

The project founders, Brian Otis & Babak Parvis, have taken to the official Google blog to say “although some people wear glucose monitors with a glucose sensor embedded under their skin, all people with diabetes must still prick their finger and test drops of blood throughout the day. 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 device works by sandwiching a miniature glucose sensor and wireless chip between 2 layers of soft contact lens material and can take a measurement every second. It is hoped that tiny LED lights in the circuitry can be used to alert the wearer when their blood glucose starts to deviate from the “safe” range for them.

Given Google’s recent interest in wearable technology, especially in the form of Google Glass, a smart contact lens shouldn’t come too much as a surprise. If the project succeeds, the next time you see a glint in a patients eye, you may start to worry about their glucose control.

Source: Official Google blog. http://googleblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/introducing-our-smart-contact-lens.html

by Dr Raffy Halim