Tear Glucose Measurement by Reflectance Spectrum of a Nanoparticle Embedded Contact Lens.

Glucose level is a primary indicator in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes mellitus. According to the correlation between glucose concentration in blood and tears, measuring tear glucose can be an alternative to traditional strips test for blood glucose. Thus, measuring tear glucose levels could provide noninvasive monitoring of blood glucose. As a biocompatible biosensor, a nanoparticle embedded contact lens (NECL) is developed which is composed of glucose oxidase and cerium oxide (III). Using spectroscopy, we found the detectable changes in reflection spectrum of contact lenses with respect to the glucose concentration, and developed correlation curve of the reflection spectrum with known glucose level. Furthermore, we assessed tear glucose level and compared blood glucose level with the diabetic mouse model to evaluate this approach. Our algorithm for regular monitoring of glucose using contact lens biosensor may lead to noninvasive monitoring of tear glucose level. NECL may provide simple and noninvasive glucose monitoring based on the spectral changes in contact lens biosensor.