Science Translational Medicine

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Smart contact lens measures serotonin in tears non-invasively

As of September 2026: Publisher of the serotonin lens validation

Serotonin, the neurotransmitter tied to mood, stress, and pain sensitization, has always required a blood draw to measure. A new contact lens reads it directly in tears. The lab-on-a-contact-lens (LoCL) sensor, described September 16 in Science Translational Medicine, detected serotonin in both pig and human tears using an electrochemical electrode embedded between two deformable polymer lenses.

Updated Sep 20