Contact lenses instead of a blood glucose test
"Chameleons" lenses for diabetics have been created
ABC Magazine based on materials from the University of Akron: Color-changing contact lenses to help diabetesFor millions of people suffering from diabetes, a daily blood test is an inconvenient and often painful, but vital procedure.
However, scientists from the University of Akron have developed a new way to determine the level of sugar in the blood of diabetics without the use of invasive techniques. They have created glucose-sensitive contact lenses that change their color when its concentration in the tear fluid increases.
"These contact lenses work as a pH indicator that we used in chemistry classes at school," explains Dr. Jun Hu, associate professor of chemistry at the university. – pH indicators change color depending on the acidity of the liquid or the concentration of protons in it. The lenses we have created act in much the same way, reacting to the concentration of glucose molecules and changing the color of the dye contained in them."
A person who will wear such contact lenses will not notice a change in their color, so he will have to periodically look in the mirror. However, scientists have gone even further: they are currently developing a special application for mobile phones that is able to analyze a photo of a diabetic's eye and determine the exact level of sugar in his blood by the color of the contact lens. "All you need to assess your blood glucose level is a phone with a camera. Take a picture of your eye and you will know the exact concentration of sugar without doctors and glucose meters," says Dr. Hu.
The convenience of using contact lenses should improve compliance with medical prescriptions by patients who may neglect daily blood tests due to the need to give injections. In addition, during the day, the concentration of glucose in the blood is constantly changing, so glucose meters are not able to give a complete picture of daily changes in blood sugar levels, unlike new contact lenses.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru28.05.2012