Smart Contact Lenses to Monitor the Glucose in Tears

Early attempts at 'smart' contact lenses used rigid and opaque embedded electronics. Researchers  led by Jihun Park, a materials scientist at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea, have designed a set of components out of soft and flexible electronic materials that - when possible - are also transparent. They included two devices, an antenna and a rectifier, that capture radio frequency signals from a nearby transmitter and convert them to a small amount of electricity. That charge powers a glucose sensor and a tiny green LED, which shines outward so it is visible in a mirror but doesn't interfere with the wearer's vision. If the glucose sensor registers elevated levels, the LED turns off, warning a diabetic wearer that they may need to adjust insulin levels.

Transcript

00:00:01 Just like the long awaited jet packs and hoverboards of tomorrow-- smart contact lenses have been a long time coming. However, a new way of putting electronics into a contact lens is one step closer to making contacts that can collect information and display it. Researchers have created a contact lens that monitors glucose levels in tears and signals via an LED light. This could help diabetics do away

00:00:28 with painful daily blood tests. In the past, contact lenses integrated with electronics were stiff and potentially harmful to the sensitive human eye. Here, the components are all flexible and, for the most part, transparent. The graphene glucose sensor, the antenna, and the LED are all embedded in a silicon hybrid substrate that sits on top of a breathable contact lens. The lens can stretch up to 30 percent.

00:00:57 And is around 90 percent transparent. The lens is powered wirelessly through an antenna that encircles the pupil, preventing obstruction of sight. When glucose levels in the wearer rise to a predetermined amount, the LED pixel turns off. Though this is a good proof of concept, there is still a ways to go these lenses haven’t been tested in people and there isn’t a practical way to power them. But with a few improvements, we could be seeing a lot more with our eyes.