2 min readWashingtonNov 10, 2011 05:10 PM IST
First published on: Nov 10, 2011 at 05:10 PM IST
Scientists are developing an electrochemical sensor device that has the potential to measure blood sugar levels from tears instead of blood,an advance that could save millions of diabetes patients from painful pricking tests.
In a report that appeared in ACS’ journal Analytical Chemistry,researcher Mark Meyerhoff and colleagues explained that about 5 percent of the world’s population have diabetes.
The disease is a fast-growing public health problem because of a sharp global increase in obesity,which makes people susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes.
People with diabetes must monitor their blood glucose levels several times a day to make sure they are within a safe range.
Current handheld glucose meters require a drop of blood,which patients draw by pricking their fingers with a small pin or lancet.
However,some patients regard that pinprick as painful enough to discourage regular testing.
So,Meyerhoff’s team is working to develop the new,pain-free device that can use tear glucose levels as an accurate reflection of blood sugar levels.
Tests of their approach in laboratory rabbits showed that levels of glucose in tears track the amounts of glucose in the blood.
“Thus,it may be possible to measure tear glucose levels multiple times per day to monitor blood glucose changes without the potential pain from the repeated invasive blood drawing method,” said the researchers.
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