Apparatus for measuring blood glucose concentrations

Abstract

An apparatus for measuring ocular and/or blood glucose levels comprises (a) an irradiating means ( 10 ) for irradiating light onto the eye ( 1 ) of a user from outside the cornea of the eye to excite an ocular glucose sensor in contact with an ocular fluid, said sensor being able to emit a total fluorescence having first and a second wavelength bands; (b) an optical path splitting means ( 11 ) for splitting said total fluorescence into a first fluorescence and a second fluorescence, said first fluorescence and said second fluorescence traveling along first and second optical paths; (c) a first detecting means ( 14 ) located in the first optical path; (d) a second detecting means ( 17 ) located in the second optical path; (e) a calculating means for calculating the intensity ratio of the first fluorescence to the second fluorescence and for determining an ocular glucose concentration in the ocular fluid; and (f) an arithmetic means for converting the ocular glucose concentration into a blood glucose concentration.

1 - 7 . (canceled) 
   
   
       8 . An apparatus for measuring blood glucose levels comprising:
 a. an excitation light emitting diode;   b. a beam splitter;   c. a first detector;   d. a second detector; and   e. a processing circuit.   
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , further comprising a light-emitting display panel to display blood glucose concentrations. 
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , further comprising a pump to inject an amount of insulin. 
   
   
       11 . A kit for calibrating an apparatus, comprising at least three solutions of known glucose concentrations, wherein the apparatus comprises:
 a. an excitation light emitting diode;   b. a beam splitter;   c. a first detector;   d. a second detector; and   e. a processing circuit.   
   
   
       12 . The kit of  claim 11 , further comprising a light-emitting display panel to display blood glucose concentrations. 
   
   
       13 . The kit of  claim 11 , wherein the three solutions of known glucose concentrations are each of different concentration. 
   
   
       14 . A method for determining the blood glucose level of a subject comprising
 (a) irradiating light onto the eye of a subject from outside the cornea of the eye to excite an ocular glucose sensor, wherein said ocular glucose sensor is in contact with an ocular fluid and can emit a total fluorescence having a first and a second wavelength bands upon irradiation using the apparatus of  claim 8 ; and   (b) converting the ocular glucose concentration into a blood glucose concentration by referring to a predetermined correlation between blood glucose concentrations and ocular glucose concentrations.