smartcontactlens
Latest
The power of tears: Why Google has its eye on smart contact lenses
When the cronut craze swept across New York in early spring of last year, the only major inconvenience associated with Dominique Ansel's novel culinary confection was the pain of waiting in line to get it. For a responsible person living with Type 1 (or Type 2) diabetes, like my good friend Cara, that wait time for a hip baked good would've been compounded by a few more irritating factors. First, there'd be a necessary finger prick test (administered in the open by an always on-hand glucometer) to measure blood sugar levels an hour before eating. Then, a guesstimate would need to be calculated of just how many carbs that precious SoHo sweet contained, followed by an adjustment of insulin delivery levels on a waist-worn pump. And, finally, a follow-up finger prick test would need to be done two hours after eating the cronut to once again establish a necessary insulin base line. That is true inconvenience. That is life with diabetes. And as you might imagine, not all diabetics are this disciplined. But Google wants to change that... with contact lenses.
Google's new wearable project is a smart contact lens with medical uses
Google loves wearables and this time it's getting even closer to your body with a developmental smart contact lens. Through miniaturized electronics, it can apparently measure the levels of glucose in your tears, offering diabetics an easier way to monitor their condition without the needles and the blood -- something we've reported on before. A tiny (really tiny) wireless chip and glucose sensor are wedged between two layers of "biocompatible" contact lens material, and Google is saying that it's already working on embedding tiny LED lights for notifications, too. There's been no shortage of developmental contact lens tech over the last few years, but the clout of Google means this could well be the most realistic mainstream offering, in addition to its very practical use cases. Google is currently angling for partners with more expertise in the medical market to help make it happen and is "in discussions with the FDA" to ensure the tech ticks all the right healthcare boxes before it progresses further. Recode's got a deep dive on the make-up of the smart contact: we've added their science textbook-grade diagram right after the break.
