Smart contact lenses that monitor the blood sugar levels of diabetespatients and transmits data to their phone in real time. The lens is minimally invasive and works by analysing tear fluid in diabetic users. It is linked to a clip wearable on the collar or behind the ear which is connected to a small device that transmits the data to the person's smartphone.

Users put it on in the morning, take it off at night, and clean it just like a normal contact lens. It doesn't affect a person's visionin any way and isn't contraindicated by other diabetes prescriptions. The prototype is made of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip, an antenna and a sensor, which is embedded between the layers of lens material. A pinhole in the lens allows tear fluid to seep into the sensor where physiologic pH values are used to measure blood sugar levels. The antenna then acts as a controller to communicate information to a small device wired to the phone where detailed readings are available at a tap on the user's phone. Although the product holds promise, it won't be adapted for every diabetes patient. The technology could prove highly unreliable for people with dry eyes syndrome who lack adequate tears, for example. [Source: Diabetes.co.uk. 9 September 2016. Camille Bienvenu]