Would immediately — and significantly — improve my life. Crossing my fingers very hard. Want this to be reality.
What would this do for you that a current CGM wouldn't?
Introducing our smart contact lens project (for diabetics)
21–30 of 184 posts
Re: Introducing our smart contact lens project (for diabetics)
#22As a type 1 diabetic I can say this would be a huge improvement over current continuous glucose monitoring systems. No expensive disposable parts. No needing to inject a new sensor each week. No strange, uncomfortable, and (often) painful bulge stuck to your abdomen. >We’re in discussions with the FDA, but there’s still a lot more work to do to turn this technology into a system that people can use I'm chomping at th…
As a fellow type 1 diabetic, I'm thrilled with any new projects - especially a project like this which would benefit not only type 1, and is not only targeted for type 2.
> how soon this could possibly be available?
I've been following various type 1 research for as long as I can remember (runs in the family, myself etc.), and I remember a similar enthusiasm back when glucose watches were first in production. I recall it taking years before they had an actual product (this was before the Panic Room featured watch, which wasn't a glucose measurement, but anyway.. to give you a time reference), and sadly, even when they were available from more than one manufacturer, they were still not widely available to patients (i.e. wanting to get one).
None the less, I will be following this eagerly.
On a personal note, awolf: how do you like your current monitoring system (apart from the mentioned downsides)? I've considered needle monitoring many times, but never gone for it (for idle office work I wouldn't mind, but I see it as a hinder in my personal life re: flexibility)
PS: Accuracy is not even a factor until the technology is further along, and that was one of the main issues with the watches back in the day: measuring glucose levels through human skin was not accurate or reliable enough. So I'd add years of testing at least, and maybe tweaking aswel (as the watch project did).
Re: Introducing our smart contact lens project (for diabetics)
#23Would immediately — and significantly — improve my life. Crossing my fingers very hard. Want this to be reality.
What would this do for you that a current CGM wouldn't?
I'm just speculating, but the physical presence of the device itself has been a dealbreaker for me, and I've heard of similar issues from a couple of athletes (with diabetes).
Re: Introducing our smart contact lens project (for diabetics)
#24Microsoft was working on similar technology 3 years ago [1] It looks like Google poached MSFT's engineers to work on this -- Babak Parviz was working on this at Microsoft 3 years ago, and is now cofounder of the smart contact lens team at Google. [1]: Functional Contact Lens Monitors Blood Sugar Without Needles ( http://research.microsoft.com/apps/video/dl.aspx?id=150832 )
This has very little to do with MSFT research. Microsoft collaborated with Parviz's research at University of Washington. He wasn't a MSFT engineer. He was a Professor at UW before he left for Google. His affiliation with Microsoft, and Microsoft's contribution, seems minimal.
Re: Introducing our smart contact lens project (for diabetics)
#25Type I diabetic here. Assuming current tech stays where it is (not saying it will), this could easily tack 10 years on to my lifespan. For many who watch their diabetes less closely (something I cannot fault anyone for), this could add 20-30 years.
For anyone who does not know, type I diabetes is not something you can just follow a doctor's direction on and be ok. Even if you follow your doctor perfectly, there can still be serious complications, and type I diabetics with the best control are actually more likely to die from severe low blood sugars.
The reason for this is that the optimum blood glucose level is around 100. Either way, a continuous feedback mechanism would help tight control diabetics, and diabetics who do the minimum. Tight controllers could get faster feedback about when they are going into the serious danger zone without having to initiate any action (checking blood sugar), and lax diabetics would get a constant reminder of how they are letting there life slip away (which they normally would rarely see, since they hardly ever check their blood sugar anyway).
I have to say though, I am still a bit skeptical for a few reasons:
- One, I have been told about this sort of miracle technology ever since I was diagnosed 15 years ago.
- Two, the medical complex locks down their tech and extracts the maximum value out. There is not a single glucose device on the market that lets you extract the data out of your glucose monitor and crunch the data how you want. I have worked on hacking these devices to extract data and the legal verbiage around these activities has strongly discouraged me from releasing anything. Previous continuous glucose monitoring systems. These companies would prefer you rot in the dark, than to lose one bit of profit.
- Three, if one of these devices is not 100% perfect, it gets shot down and banned from the market. This is probably a combination of profit-motivated industry and caution-motivated government. A great example of this is a continuous glucose monitoring, non-invasive watch that came out ~ a decade ago. It was on the market for several years, before being banned. I, like just about every person in the thread I linked, would pay $10k+ for one of these, despite the reduced accuracy over traditional devices. Entrepreneurs in the health industry take note.
[1] [http://www.diabetesdaily.com/forum/testing-blood-sugar/61908...]
Re: Introducing our smart contact lens project (for diabetics)
#26Type I diabetic here. Assuming current tech stays where it is (not saying it will), this could easily tack 10 years on to my lifespan. For many who watch their diabetes less closely (something I cannot fault anyone for), this could add 20-30 years. For anyone who does not know, type I diabetes is not something you can just follow a doctor's direction on and be ok. Even if you follow your doctor perfectly, there can s…
You may be interested to know that Bayer's Contour USB allows you to pull the information off in an SQLite DB
http://www.bayerdiabetes.co.uk/sections/products-for-my-diab...
Re: Introducing our smart contact lens project (for diabetics)
#27[deleted]
Re: Introducing our smart contact lens project (for diabetics)
#28Continuous glucose monitors have been around for a while. I'm not sure who this would help. The fundamental problem is that glucose levels in non-blood fluids do not exactly match blood glucose. The current monitor solutions use interstitial fluid in the skin. They still require the user to test themselves several times a day and recalibrate the monitor based on blood glucose, and they can't alert the user if their b…
There are severe drawbacks to CGM like scarring, infection and most importantly the expense. In the UK CGMs and even insulin pumps are almost impossible to get most places on the NHS.
Re: Introducing our smart contact lens project (for diabetics)
#29How is this powered? are they generating electricity from the body somehow?
I'm wondering this too. Could it pick up on an electrical potential from the eye itself? Or could the reading be gathered with only as much of a signal as an RFID tag gets?
Re: Introducing our smart contact lens project (for diabetics)
#30As a type 1 diabetic I can say this would be a huge improvement over current continuous glucose monitoring systems. No expensive disposable parts. No needing to inject a new sensor each week. No strange, uncomfortable, and (often) painful bulge stuck to your abdomen. >We’re in discussions with the FDA, but there’s still a lot more work to do to turn this technology into a system that people can use I'm chomping at th…
How do you know it's not expensive or disposable?
Expensive hardly matters to me. As long as it is less than ~$30k per 10 years, I would pay. Insulin pumps already cost $10k+, and do not provide as much value. This kind of tech is life extending for those of us who need it, so price kind of moot (up to a point). How much would you pay per year to get an extra decade of life?