Lab on a Contact Lens Can Measure Stress Through Serotonin
spectrum.ieee.orgshort sci-fi horror story follows:
* Hello, we've called you to HR because we've detected you have been stressed at work.
- Sure, some... overwork status after you reduce headcount, but nothing it isn't being managed with the hierarchy chain.
* Glad to know. Be sure we, as a company, endeavour to have a stress-free workplace. You will be put in a Stress Workplace Reduction PIP, just as a formality of course; since you mentioned you have taken the appropriate steps to reduce stress you should pass the PIP, no need to stress about it! See you in a few weeks.
- Er... Thanks......?
Relevant I.T. Crowd scene: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=da4PhXJzDcs
"Oh and our toilet sensors have also measured your stool with some interesting conclusions ..."
It wouldn't be right to fire her after she finds out she is pregnant.
sounds cultural
Coming soon, to a culture near you.
And when is it going away?
Fascinating! How does the data make it off the lenses? Graphene-scale radios on my eyes sounds like it would have to have side effects.
through wires
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"The team's next step is to move from the current laboratory-connected platform toward a fully integrated wearable system. The team plans to integrate wireless components so a future version of the lens can acquire and transmit readings in real time while being worn, rather than requiring tear samples to be collected and analyzed afterward.
Larger and more diverse human studies will be needed to determine how tear serotonin relates to stress and mental health across different populations. Long-term sensor stability, calibration in the dynamic tear environment, comfort, manufacturing reproducibility and extended on-eye safety will also need to be established before the technology can move toward clinical use."
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-smart-contact-lens-se...
"Team can measure serotonin in your eyeball with a serotonin sensor hooked up to wires coming out of your eyeball" doesn't sound as glamorous as the headline tho
Color changing like a mood ring?
They go totally opaque until you calm down.
Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril-Sensitive Sungl.... Contacts.
They operate on the principle "what you don't know can't hurt you," they turn completely black and opaque at the first sign of trouble, so you can't see anything that might alarm you.
I prefer fiery red when low serotonin is detected.
This probably isn't that far off. That would keep the contact lenses inert and passive (no added side effects and no power needed).
The color change could also be subtle enough to require a sensor in smartglasses, but I don't think that's too bad. If the lenses ever get to the point where they're relaying multiple things, you're going to need a sensor anyway to demux those signals.
Feeling murderous: jet black Feeling angry: bright red Feeling calm: light turquoise
This will come handy for my Voight-Kampff testing machine startup.
Meanwhile the Apple Watch can't even measure glucose levels.
Well, that is a hard problem to solve. There's around a sugar cube's worth of glucose in an adult bloodstream and it's not as prominent optically as oxygenated blood.
Glucose sensors exist. You can buy them for around $100 (per month).
I'm not sure if you're trolling, but glucose sensors are (minimally) invasive - they insert a filament under your skin with a needle.
I was surprised by GP's comment because to my knowledge there doesn't exist a device of this type which wouldn't require puncturing the skin.
My mom gets bombarded with ads selling non-invasive glucose monitors but the most plausible unit I have found uses lasers and has the size of a refrigerator, still in development.
How useful is detecting seratonin?
The article says it is inversely correlated with cortisol, the stress hormone thunderclap, but that is harder to measure through tear concentration.