Contact lenses may alert diabetics to blood sugar variations

Diabetics have very tedious schedules for monitoring their health in comparison to many other groups of people with illnesses. Blood sugar levels have to be checked multiple times in order to properly maintain a healthy state of living and this often requires pricking a finger or drawing blood in some way that can make some people squeamish just thinking about it. A new method, however, could be painless and more efficient while better monitoring blood sugar levels. Researchers have recently developed contact lenses that change color in response to increases or decreases in the blood sugar level. This occurs due to nanoparticles embedded in the lenses that chemically react to the glucose naturally present in tears. Ultimately, these lenses along with proper responses by the diabetic can greatly help diabetics monitor their insulin levels and thereby prevent the medical complications that include fatigue, nausea, problems with vision, and a litany of other conditions that insulin affects.

While my family is not much affected by diabetes as a whole, there are some members of my extended family that are affected by diabetes and would benefit from advancements in monitoring their diabetes. This article interested me because of the simplicity that the contacts add to the diabetic’s daily routine and the simple way that diabetic treatment is implemented. For many diabetics it seems like the biggest hassle is simply keeping up with their blood sugar levels and with these new contacts much of the hassle may go away.

http://www.themedguru.com/20091228/newsfeature/contact-lenses-may-alert-diabetics-blood-sugar-variations-86131597.html