About 20 years ago, shortly after I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I read an article that described measuring blood glucose (BG) levels in tears. I thought that was wonderful, as it would avoid what popular press articles like to call "painful finger pricks" but which are actually not-very-painful but annoying tests one has to do multiple times a day if one wants good control.
So I mentioned the article to an endocrinologist who was in charge of a clinical study I was in. She laughed and said so many novel ways of measuring BG had been proposed, but none of them had ever made it to the market. "I'll be interested when it becomes commercially available," she said.
Well now, 20 years later, a company based in The Netherlands has proposed measuring BG levels in tears. This version involves putting a tiny sensor under the lower eyelid. The sensor measures BG levels continuously and broadcasts them to a smartphone.
The company has published the results of studies in six patients and says the device is accurate, with no adverse events reported. They are planning a study in 24 people with type 1 diabetes.
Well, it does sound nice, but I'll be interested when it becomes commercially available.
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