New smart contact lenses can monitor and treat your diabetes

Not just people with poor vision, but diabetics may also be required to wear contact lenses to improve their health condition. Scientists have developed smart contact lenses that could be used to monitor your diabetes and deliver medications.Also Read – This video will guide you through three exercises to boost your heart health

The contact lenses were designed to track blood sugar levels and to deliver drugs to the eye to treat diabetic retinopathy – an eye disease related to diabetes. The developers tested the lens on rabbits and found it worked on both counts.Also Read – Want to control your blood sugar levels? Have a healthy dinner

Study author Sei Kwang Hahn, a professor at Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea, noted that it is the first study to show a combination of blood sugar sensing and drug delivery technology in a contact lens. However, he is not sure if will work on humans too.Also Read – Add these 5 foods to your diet to regulate your blood sugar levels during the COVID-19 lockdown

The smart contact lens is currently about 0.2 millimeters (mm) thick, but the researchers hope to reduce it to 0.15 mm. According to Hahn, their smart lens is already thinner than lenses approved by the FDA for measuring eye pressure in people with the eye disease glaucoma.

How the new smart contact lens works?

The lens contains ultrathin, flexible electrical circuits and a microcontroller chip. When it is placed onto the eye, chemicals on it bind with tear glucose and trigger an electrical current change that is proportional to the amount of glucose. This electric current is also used to dissolve gold membranes that seal drug reservoirs, triggering the release of a dose of the drug – Hahn explained.

The researchers hope that this new contact lens will make delivery of drugs to treat diabetic retinopathy easier and less painful. Currently, such drugs are delivered via injections to the eye. Hahn and his team are hoping to begin human clinical trials next year. If everything goes well, a commercial product can be expected as early as 2023. The study was published in the journal Science Advances.

Why you should test your blood sugar levels regularly?

If you have diabetes, you should test your blood sugar (or blood glucose) levels regularly to keep the disease in check. It can also help you avoid getting long-term health problems due to diabetes. For those who use insulin more than once a day or use an insulin pump, it is recommended to check their blood sugar at least three times daily. Here are some ways to test your blood sugar levels:

Traditional home glucose monitoring: Here one needs to prick your finger with a small, sharp needle called a lancet to extract blood. After that a drop of blood is put on a test strip, which is then placed into a meter that displays your blood sugar levels.

Continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMs): While they’re not as accurate as finger-stick glucose results, these devices can help you find patterns and trends in your sugar levels. The best thing about Continuous Glucose Monitoring system is that it tracks glucose levels throughout the day and night. Some of these devices can be combined with insulin pumps.

Published : April 27, 2020 10:10 pm

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