Color changing contacts to detect glucose have diabetics saying ‘eye want 'em!'

For the diabetic patients tired of stabbing themselves with glucose meters every now and again to test glucose levels, the latest innovation in the field should make things a whole lot easier. A genius concept developed by a biochemical engineer at the University of Western Ontario, involving the use of contact lenses, allows diabetics to do away with the meter system as the lenses themselves are engineered to change colors according to the level of glucose in the body. With the help of nanocomposite hydrogel lenses that are designed to chemically react with glucose molecules in tears, a change in their color can be used to distinguish the measure of glucose. While these lenses would probably do away with the old fashioned pen-pricking system, one also has to take into account certain factors like, for how long will users be able to comfortably wear these lenses, will they be available with a prescription and there’s also the fact that it’s less time consuming to simply ‘point and prick’ rather than shove your finger into your eye. It's nevertheless a seriously large step into the future of medicine.