Microdegree polarimetry using a diode laser for glucose detection

The authors point out that current techniques for the quantification of blood glucose, particularly in the home environment, have lacked precision. In their investigations into the rotary effects of glucose upon the polarization vector of light, the authors have developed a polarimeter capable of microdegree precision. At the present sensitivity, normal physiological levels of blood glucose could be measured within 0.1%. A linear regression of output voltage corresponding to optical rotation yielded a standard of deviation of 4.4 microdegrees and a coefficient of linear correlation of 0.99991. Current and future research is focusing on the elimination of confounding factors such as other optically active substances.