There may be new hope for patients with diabetes who dread the frequent blood draws and finger pricks required to monitor their blood glucose levels. A new electrochemical sensor device may be able to measure blood sugar levels from tears instead of blood, according to a report in Analytical Chemistry.
This new pain-free device uses tear glucose levels as an accurate reflection of blood sugar levels. An advance such as this could spare more than 350 million diabetes patients the discomfort of pricking their fingers for drops of blood to use in traditional blood sugar tests — a responsibility many consider painful enough to discourage regular testing.
Physicians often struggle to encourage patients to stay on top of their diabetes care. Devices that offer an alternative to the hand-held meters may increase testing compliance.
Physician’s Weekly wants to know…
- Do you struggle to keep your diabetic patients on their treatment regimen?
- Will an advance like this increase compliance?
