New Devices Shine a Light on Blood Sugar Control

The high-tech tools could be an alternative to needle-based tests

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SATURDAY, June 23 (HealthDay News) --Two new devices that use light to measure diabetics' blood sugar levels show promise, according to studies to be presented Saturday in Chicago at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association.

Dr. Robert Gabbay of the Penn State University Medical Center in Hershey, Pa., and colleagues tested an "optical coherence tomography device" -- GlucoLight -- on 27 type 1 and type 2 diabetics. The device, which focuses a beam of light on the patient's skin, was accurate in measuring blood sugar levels, the team found.

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"The device maintained calibration over four days with no adverse side effects," Gabbay and his colleagues concluded. "Future efforts will evaluate the accuracy of the system in the hypoglycemic range."

Also at the meeting, a team led by Orna Amir, of OrSense Ltd. In Rehovot, Israel, was slated to present data on another device, the NBM-100, that uses red near-infrared light to measure blood sugar. Their study, involving seven diabetics, found the device also delivered accurate readings.

More information

There's more on diabetes at the American Diabetes Association.

-- E.J. Mundell