Monitoring diabetes with the blink of an eye

Diabetic patients may one day monitor blood-sugar levels in the blink of an eye. A study, presented in Nature Communications, tested the ability of smart sensors in contact lenses to monitor biomarkers for intraocular pressure (IOP), diabetes mellitus and other health conditions.

Developed by Jang-Ung Park, a professor at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and in Korea, and a team of researchers, the smart contact lens are another step forward for wireless biosensors capable of detecting and treating multiple diseases.

"This study can be used to diagnose diseases (such as diabetes and glaucoma) by implementing two types of transparent electronic sensors in the production of smart contact lens sensors," said Park. "We are now a step closer to the implementation of a fictional idea for a smart contact lens in the films, like 'Minority Report' and 'Mission: Impossible.'"

Current smart contact lenses can use an electrode that make them opaque. Researchers were able to correct this problem by using highly flexible and transparent electrodes made up of graphene sheets and metal nanowires.

The contact sensors are able to evaluate blood-sugar levels through tears. They contain wireless antenna, which requires no separate power source, for the transmission of health information.