Sweet tears help keep an eye on blood sugar level

• Autores: Alice Klein
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 3163, 2018, pág. 9
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • A contact lens can let people with diabetes know if their sugar levels get too high. Jang-Ung Park at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea and his team have developed a contact lens that continuously monitors sugar in tears instead. Previous studies have shown that the sugar content of tears corresponds closely with blood sugar. The lens contains a glucose sensor that sends electrical signals to an LED that switches off when sugar levels exceed a chosen threshold. By looking in a mirror, wearers can see if the light is on or off, although the team has acknowledged that it is counter-intuitive to have the LED switch off rather than on when the threshold is crossed. The sensor and light sit to the side of the pupil, where they can't disturb vision, and are so small they look like glitter