People with diabetes, who currently monitor their glucose with painful and inconvenient blood tests or implanted probes, could in the future get the same results quickly and non-invasively by safely shining a light into their eye, according to results of a study published in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology.
The study involved directly measuring glucose non-invasively using optical polarimetry.
The concentration of glucose in the aqueous humor (the fluid and blood in the eye behind the cornea and in front of the lens) of rabbits was compared to blood glucose samples.
Freedom Meditech chairman and CEO Craig Misrach said they are pleased with the results and plan to move their research to the next phase of human clinical studies.
"We believe that proprietary technology could someday become a standard of care for quick and convenient glucose monitoring for people with diabetes," Misrach said.
Previously published peer-reviewed research has shown that glucose in the aqueous of the eye correlates to that of glucose in the blood. Based on a total of 41 data points, Clarke error grid analysis indicated 93% in zone A, 7% in zone B, and 0% in zones C and D, with reference concentrations between 93 and 521 mg/dl.