Google & Novartis Collaborates to Develop Smart Contact Lenses for Diabetics

Earlier this year in January, Google revealed its plans for devising smart contact lenses to help diabetic patients calculate their blood sugar level. Google is now closer to put this plan into practice as it finds a Swiss partner to collaborate with. The Alcon eye care unit of Swiss Pharmaceuticals, “NOVARTIS” will license the advanced Google smart contact lenses to address certain medical issues.

Traditionally; diabetic patients have to pin & prick the finger to calculate the blood sugar levels; which is painful, time-consuming & a little bit messy. It is crucial to have the sugar-levels of blood checked regularly & very timely to prevent patient from potential damages of eyes, kidneys & heart. Contradictory to this; Google advanced technology of smart contact lenses would constantly monitor the level of sugar in one’s body through the fluid found in eyes which will then be sent through wireless technology to the user.

"We're now testing a smart contact lens that is built to measure glucose levels in tears using a tiny wireless chip and miniaturized glucose sensor that are embedded between two layers of soft contact lens material," project co-founders Brian Otis and BabakParviz said in a blog post in January when the technology was announced. "We're testing prototypes that can generate a reading once per second."

Google’s smart contact lenses’ chips & sensors look like bits of glitters while the embed antenna is thinner than the human hair; as per Google’s elaboration at the “project revelation” earlier this year.

According to Google; the new breakthrough technology of smart contact lenses would even be a miracle for people with presbyopia- an age-related condition where eyes loses the ability of auto-focusing the closer objects. Smart lenses could attempt to correct the vision by restoring the capability of autofocusing through intraocular lens. It would further help blinds to see “some objects”. For instance blinds wearing smart contact lenses with a built-in camera could be able to walk on sidewalks near intersections.

"By combining Alcon's leadership in eye care and expertise in contact lenses and intraocular lenses with Google's innovative 'smart lens' technology and groundbreaking speed in research, we aim to unlock a new frontier to jointly address the unmet medical needs of millions of eye care patients around the world”, Said Alcon division head Jeff George said in a statement.

It is expected that Google’s smart contact lenses would ease lives of 382 million diabetics around the world.

Smart Contact Lenses to Help Diabetics Fight against the Disease

Have you ever heard of contact lenses that are neither for color transformation nor for correcting the errors in refractive index? In coming years; with Google smart contact lenses; people with diabetes can fight against the disease.

Google smart contact lenses are currently in the development state. Google the ever-expanding empire has yet another miracle to put forward. Google proposes its smart contact lenses as an alternate to the painful and conventional finger-pricking method of checking the glucose levels in blood. With these smart contact lenses patient will be able to measure sugar level in their body. Google smart contact lenses are wearable gadgets that help you finding out the glucose through your tears.

Since it is necessary to maintain round-the-clock monitoring of blood sugar levels in some cases, Google advised an alternate way of checking sugar level other than the finger-pricking method. The prototype however will not be available for the consumers to test and try in next five years.

According to Google; “We’re now testing a smart contact lens that’s built to measure glucose levels in tears using a tiny wireless chip and miniaturized glucose sensor that are embedded between two layers of soft contact lens material. We’re testing prototypes that can generate a reading once per second. We’re also investigating the potential for this to serve as an early warning for the wearer, so we’re exploring integrating tiny LED lights that could light up to indicate that glucose levels have crossed above or below certain thresholds. It’s still early days for this technology, but we’ve completed multiple clinical research studies which are helping to refine our prototype. We hope this could someday lead to a new way for people with diabetes to manage their disease.”

Google smart contact lenses are definitely an early technology and lot more has to be done before it becomes acceptable and get approved by FDA.

Do you think Google smart contact lenses will be a huge milestone for the future generations?

Google All Set to Market Smart Contact Lenses in Near Future

According to the sources; it is being speculated that Google’s smart contact lenses with Novartis collaboration are soon to head in stores if the company’s recent actions are to be considered.

Google announced back in 2014 that smart contact lenses would take duration of five years in completion. However, company’s talks with Food and Drug Association ensures that Google is about to release its smart contact lenses for market, any time sooner.

The discovery about Google’s smart contact lenses release was made possible after the recent patent application from the company that terms these contact lenses as “eye-mountable device”. The patent application further mentions that the company and the giant partner are doing well on their project to launch the product under the promised time-line.

The patent application identifies about the packaging and explains how the smart contact lenses would look like. It includes the information about where the hard ware of the contact lenses would be found and how it will derive information from person’s tears to detect about the health condition.

Whilst we await the exciting smart contact lenses to land the stores; you are encouraged to get acquainted about smart contact lenses if you or someone in your circles is a diabetic patient. 

Can Diabetics Wear Circle Contact Lenses?

Circle contacts & diabetes

Diabetes affect entire human body so does it lay effects on eyes. Diabetes alter tear-chemistry and tear-secretion; therefore diabetics may find their eyes dry when wearing circle contact lenses. Circle contact lenses are themselves no contraindication to diabetes thus most of the patients enjoy liberty of wearing circle contact lenses without any adverse effects on eye health. 

Circle Contact Lenses & Handling with Injuries in Diabetics

Diabetics hold a weak history of recovering from injuries. Therefore diabetics who wear circle lenses must not ignore the routine checkups for prescriptions and for avoiding the risks of ocular injuries.

• Diabetics wearing prescription circle contact lenses should get those contacts which allow more oxygen permeability.
• They should also be very meticulous about the cleanliness & hygiene when it comes to circle contact lenses.

Things that Diabetics Wearing Circle Lenses Must Focus On:

• Keep an eye on any kind of ocular complications; be it minor injuries
• Always use eye drops, don’t let them get dry when wearing circle contact lenses.
• Do not ever share your circle contact lenses. Never Ever!
• Do not wear circle contact lenses when working at computers- this can lead to eye strain and stress.

It has been observed that people with controlled diabetes carry no complications with circle contact lenses. However; they are at greater risk of suffering from dryness in eyes.

Also Read: Google’s Smart Contact Lenses for Diabetics

According to Dr. Dubow; “Most people with diabetes can wear contact lenses. They must be properly prescribed and managed to make sure the wearer's eyes stay safe and healthy. This means using the correct lenses, the correct care system and having regular visits with the doctor to monitor eye health and vision”

Diabetes patients can of course wear circle lenses; they only need to be a bit more concerned about their health. Such patients heal slowly than others; they also run the risk of ocular abrasions and infections which should be the areas of strict concern in the life of a diabetic patient. Keep visiting your eye doctor as he is the only one to prescribe you circle contact lenses that do not only properly fit but also provide crisp vision with enhanced comfort and wettability.

References:

Allaboutvision-Ask a Doctor

Clinical and Experimental Optometry © 2012 Optometrists Association Australia.

University of IOWA- Hospitals & Clinics

Contact Lenses to Treat Glaucoma

Credit: © 2014 RetoDuriet

After Google’s smart contact lenses that are to treat diabetes; researchers have pushed up yet another great news for patients of Glaucoma. The innovative contact lenses will help early detection of glaucoma that is improbable otherwise.

What is Glaucoma & how do Contact Lenses treat it?

Glaucoma is caused by the eye strain & pressure. Glaucoma does not appear on scene until later ages in life. The symptoms often go unnoticed since they really do not cause any troubles in the beginning. Unfortunately; when doctors are finally able to diagnose the disease, the damage has already been done by the glaucoma. Since glaucoma damage the optic nerves; without immediate & timely treatment it can lead to permanent vision loss.

The new contact lenses are to be developed by EPFL and Haute Ecole Arc. These contact lenses would measure intraocular pressure in eyes continuously for 24 hours that will help early detection of glaucoma; paving the ways for timely treatment. The early diagnosis and timely treatment would save patients from permanent vision loss.

"Clinical trials are being conducted at the Ophthalmic Hospital of CHUV. These to gauge the comfort of the device, and also test the measurement system", explains Dr Katia Tissot, the medical manager for the society.

Contact lenses are making lives easier. They do not only help correcting the refractive index errors but the world is soon to observe breakthrough advancements in treating ocular diseases. Contact lenses for the treatment of glaucoma will be made available for the public by the end of 2015, hopefully.

Related:

Google smart contact lenses for Diabetes

Smart Phones are Boring- Now is the Time for Smart Contact Lenses

The day has already arrived where technology seems to invade everything for good. Impossibilities themselves open the infinite doors towards possibilities. A decade back we knew nothing of smart phones and surprisingly today technology has evolved drastically. Smart phones are now boring since it is the time for yet another innovative smart technology that let users take photos with a blink of an eye. Samsung just recently received patent for smart contact lenses that seem to take the concept a level ahead; first conceived by Google back in 2014.

Samsung smart contact lenses are equipped with antenna that transmit the images on to the companion device such as a smart phone. Though Samsung has not revealed its interest in commercializing the product yet, it is an established fact that the introduction of this latest technology will open up new doors of advanced wearables.

Samsung is not the only tech firm to develop smart contact lenses for an improved augmented reality experience. Google already enjoys two patents of smart contact lenses that check the glucose level in your blood and ensure n enhanced health experience.

According to the Samsung-centric blog SamMobile, the tech giant Samsung has just patented ‘smart contact lenses’ with an inbuilt camera in South Korea. The contact lenses will be able to project images straight into a user’s eye using a display.

Am I an Ideal Candidate for Contact Lenses?

You might have been told earlier that you are not an ideal candidate for contact lenses.  This is nothing to however panic about. Contact lenses are constantly evolving & due to the latest innovations you can always try with new brands of contact lenses even if they had been a bad experience previously. Certain medications & medical conditions do restrict you wearing contact lenses such as allergies & using OCPs (Oral contraceptive pills. They might negatively affect contact lens tolerance. Yet, the endless opportunities allow you to switch between the brands in order to find the best match for your eyes.

People with certain medical conditions such as astigmatism, or dry eyes syndrome can improve their symptoms by effective management with contact lenses. Yes, it might be difficult; but being difficult does not mean being “impossible”. People with dry eyes can try wearing circle lenses with 48%- 55% water content and see if it makes any positive difference. Dry eyes include symptoms like gritty, scratchy or burning sensation on wearing contact lenses which can be reduced with medicated eye drops that are compliant to use with contact lenses.

People suffering from Astigmatism can wear Toric contact lenses. With latest advancements, contact lenses for complex ocular impairments have been engineered. With collaboration of Google, Novartis & Alcon Pharmaceuticals a new type of smart contact lenses for diabetics are being engineered. Furthermore, contact lenses for age-related macular degeneration will also be launched in near future to help elderly people zoom in and out with just a wink of an eye.

Contact lenses have seen huge advancements. The possibilities are endless. You only need to have a valid prescription at hand to get benefited through contact lenses. Also, regular follow-ups are recommended to rule out any underlying or hidden vision threats caused by bacterial accumulation. 

“Capture Images & Store them in your Contact Lenses”- A New Patent by Sony Discloses about the Near Future Technology

Courtesy: Techstory

Looks like the war has begun. Earlier nations would take pride on armory, weapons and ammunition. Today, artillery is too mainstream. It is time to take over the world by technology that has only existed in science fiction. Brace yourself, compact & highly personal technology is soon to invade the world for good! We assume that the coming era will be known as “Contact Lens Era” since Sony has now joined the tech-league, led by Google.

Two years back Google hoisted its flag in the field of bio-engineering by unveiling its contact lenses that could detect sugar level in one’s blood; thus world observed an achievement of the landmark. It was just three weeks back when Samsung received the patent for smart contact lenses that couldn’t only capture the images but will transfer them to a mobile device using a wireless connection. We weren’t yet out of this trance when out of a sudden Samsung blew the bomb of another surprising & uber cool technology. The proud tech giant has just unveiled how it was secretly working on a cool gadget i.e. “Smart contact lenses with built-in storage”.

It will not be too early to state that Sony’s contact lenses will take the world by storm as soon as they are available commercially. These contact lenses will be taking pictures, storing them and playing videos for you- all with just a blink of an eye; cool, isn’t it?

Let’s wait together until all jaws are dropped in bewilderment. We don’t know what is coming next tomorrow!