Analysis of Correlation between Blood Glucose and Tear Glucose Using Smart Contact Lenses

With the development of wearable devices, diagnosing various diseases through biomarkers in body fluids has been emerging. Glucose, a well-known biomarker for diabetes, is measured with the invasive method of collecting blood. Glucose is also present in tears, and studies are underway to diagnose diabetes by measuring tear glucose noninvasively and continuously through a smart contact lens. Clarifying the correlation between blood glucose and tear glucose is essential for the actual diagnosing and monitoring of diabetes through tears. To address this controversial issue, studies that revealed the correlation between blood glucose and tear glucose through a contact lens platform were conducted. However, the developed smart contact lenses were performed only at specified time points which limits identifying the exact correlation such as time lag between blood glucose and tear glucose.<br/>Herein, we present an unprecedented correlation analysis between blood glucose and tear glucose using normal and diabetic animal models. Our smart contact lens enables long-term monitoring of tear glucose at a short time interval to study the exact correlation between blood and tears. This approach can offer promising prospects for advanced biomedical application in further clinical trials.