Self-monitoring sensor to help diabetes patients?

People with diabetes who may require assisted living could be helped by a new self-monitoring blood glucose sensor being developed.

Scientists at Arizona State University and Mayo Clinic in Arizona have come up with a new sensor which would enable patients to take tear fluid from their eye to test their glucose levels.

Researchers claim the tear sample would give just as accurate a reading as a blood test does.

Bioengineer Jeffrey T LaBelle said the painful finger prick which is currently used makes people reluctant to take the test.

"This new technology might encourage patients to check their blood sugars more often, which could lead to better control of their diabetes by a simple touch to the eye," he added.

Meanwhile, scientists from Stanford University have said that fatty liver is an independent risk factor for diabetes as people with the condition were found to be twice as likely to suffer from diabetes.

They explained that as fatty liver is usually accompanied by other common risk factors such as obesity and insulin resistance, it has been difficult to determine whether the condition alone increases the chance of diabetes.

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