Diabetic Lenses

An eyeball with a contact lens with electrodes

Is that sugar in your…. EYE!?

This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.

More than thirty million people in the US have diabetes – which can lead to vision trouble, among other things. Keeping track of blood sugar levels means pricking your finger several times every day. Ouch! What if we could change that — LITERALLY, in the blink of an eye?

Sei Kwang Hahn from Postech in Korea and colleagues wondered. Do our blood sugar levels show up in our tears? 

They created contact lenses that both measure blood sugar and treat diabetes-related vision issues! The lenses connect wirelessly to a computer that monitors blood sugar levels in REAL-TIME! Researchers had diabetic rabbits try the new wearables on first.

Results? Hahn’s team successfully measured blood sugar concentrations from tears! What’s more, the contacts can release drugs that treat vision issues! That’s what I call a SMART lens!

Hahn’s team hopes their lenses can be used to detect and treat other eye conditions!

Crying never felt so good! And those are HAPPY tears!