Google Lenses for Diabetes

For diabetic patients tired with having to use pin prick blood tests every now and then to monitor their blood sugar levels, the good news is that Google has invented a novel pair of contact lenses to keep their glucose levels in check. These contacts come fitted with special sensors, minute transistors and a tiny hair-thin antenna to observe the sugar levels through the tears of the diabetes patient. The readings are then wirelessly transmitted to a handheld monitor device.

Unmanageable blood sugar levels in diabetic patients are hazardous to health and more often than not lead to kidney, eyes and heart problems. Many patients have to administer pin pricks, sometimes more than 10 times in a single day in order to keep an eye on their glucose levels, as is evident from the case of Michael Vahradian, who finds it rather cumbersome to use them. Google lens, which will be available in markets in about 5 years, will revolutionize the way diabetes blood sugar levels are monitored and will ease the process for millions around the world.

Google is best known as a search engine and advertising company. However, it has launched a number of other useful wearable products, like Google Glass and a special pair of glasses fitted with cameras and a small computer display. Although, research on contact lenses for monitoring blood sugar levels started many years ago at the University of Washington, it was Google really which made the project a reality. The man behind the invention, Brian Otis expresses his opinion:

“You can take it to a certain level in an academic setting, but at Google we were given the latitude to invest in this project.”

The Chairperson of the board of the American Diabetes Association is pleased with the efforts of the researchers and scientists who are working tirelessly to come up with novel and better solutions for patients suffering from diabetes. Readers can refer to Current Diabetes Reviews by Bentham Science Publishers for the latest developments in the field of diabetes and its cures. A Bentham eBook, Epidemiology of Type 2 Diabetes is also a useful guide on diabetes epidemiology.