New Hope for Diabetics - Using Your Tears to Test Blood Sugar

Millions of people have to prick a finger to test for blood sugar during the day. Many do it more than once a day. How would you feel, if you could test your blood sugar without having to go through that annoying pain all the time?

Researchers at the University of Michigan found that in studies of animals, rabbits to be precise, that if they could test the glucose in their tears, they could get a good reading using an electrochemical sensor device. And it is being used successfully on the rabbits.

The researchers know that with the rising levels of obesity world-wide, the cases of diabetes will go up also. They have set out to see if they can develop a way to test human blood sugar in the tears without the pain of drawing blood several times a day.

Because of this little annoying pain that diabetics must go through, the researchers have found that many people don't test their blood quite as often as they should. This can lead to long-term complications and risks linked to the condition. Especially microvascular complications that can lean to neuropathy and foot ulcers.

The sensor the researchers are developing is very sensitive and can pick up very low limits of 1.5 + or 0.4 um of glucose. (S/N=3) This is enough for the sensor to get an accurate measurement. The sensor capillary tube only requires 4 to 5 uL of tears for the needle to go into the capillary. The aim is to develop a sensor that can be touched to the white of the eye, then in five seconds, tell what your glucose level is.

Diabetes is a leading cause of kidney failure and some new cases of blindness. According the American Diabetes website, there are about twenty-five million people, children and adults, who have the disease. There are estimates of about seventy-nine million who are on the verge of getting it.

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Video about new testing device.