--- title: Novartis Joins Google to Turn Smart Contact Lens Vision Into Reality description: The lenses would be a breakthrough in diabetes management, allowing diabetics to monitor blood sugar levels without drawing blood canonical: https://time.com/2989049/google-smart-lens/ author: Jack Linshi article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-07-15T20:34:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:02:46.984Z article:section: Health og:title: Novartis Joins Google to Turn Smart Contact Lens Vision Into Reality og:description: The lenses will be a breakthrough in diabetes management, allowing diabetics to monitor blood sugar levels without drawing blood. og:url: https://time.com/2989049/google-smart-lens/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt05ee2cd7c4a2ff0e/69869be2cd804dd48fccbf11/google-contact-lens.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: Google This undated photo released by Google shows a contact lens Google is testing to explore tear glucose. Monitor og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Novartis Joins Google to Turn Smart Contact Lens Vision Into Reality twitter:description: The lenses will be a breakthrough in diabetes management, allowing diabetics to monitor blood sugar levels without drawing blood. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt05ee2cd7c4a2ff0e/69869be2cd804dd48fccbf11/google-contact-lens.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Google Joining With Pharma Company to Build its Smart Contact Lens > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Jul 15, 2014 8:34 PM UTC  Google's smart contact lenses. Google's smart contact lenses. Google/AP  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Jul 15, 2014 8:34 PM UTC Pharmaceutical company Novartis announced Tuesday that its eye care division, Alcon, will license Google’s smart contact lens technology, creating a tool to monitor diabetics’ blood sugar levels through tear samples. Alcon will collaborate with Google\[x\], Google’s secretive lab for major technological advances which also designed Google Glass. The two will join forces to develop contact lenses that wirelessly connect to mobile devices to report blood sugar in near-real-time. The technology may also provide accommodative vision correction for those with impaired eyesight. “Our dream is to use the latest technology in the miniaturization of electronics to help improve the quality of life for millions of people,” said Google C0-Founder Sergey Brin in a statement. “We are very excited to work with Novartis to make this dream come true.” A marriage between a medical juggernaut and a tech powerhouse, the agreement will benefit both companies by allowing Google to merge biology with its miniature electronic efforts and Novartis to leverage technology to manage disease, according to Novartis’ [press release](http://www.novartis.com/newsroom/media-releases/en/2014/1824836.shtml). The partnership remains subject to anti-trust approvals. “This is a key step for us to go beyond the confines of traditional disease management, starting with the eye,” said Novartis CEO Joseph Jimenez. The partnership announcement arrives shortly after Babak Parviz, one of the Google\[x\] pioneers behind the smart lens and Google Glass, [wrote on Google Plus](https://plus.google.com/100149980664588993669/posts/gWj6d17AiB7) Saturday that he will leave Google for Amazon. Parviz, who debuted in 2011 [a smart lens prototype](http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20927943.800-smart-contact-lenses-for-health-and-headup-displays.html#.U8WGYY1dWSI) with a red LED light indicating glucose at or below certain thresholds, is expected to contribute to [Amazon’s](http://time.com/2895275/amazon-fire-phone/) wearables and technological advancements. Google announced its [smart contact lens project](http://googleblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/introducing-our-smart-contact-lens.html) in January. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2989049/google-smart-lens/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2989049/google-smart-lens/"},"headline":"Google Joining With Pharma Company to Build its Smart Contact Lens","datePublished":"2014-07-15T20:34:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:02:46.984Z","description":"The lenses would be a breakthrough in diabetes management, allowing diabetics to monitor blood sugar levels without drawing blood","url":"https://time.com/2989049/google-smart-lens/","keywords":["Tech","Google","Technology","Companies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt05ee2cd7c4a2ff0e/69869be2cd804dd48fccbf11/google-contact-lens.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jack Linshi","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt05ee2cd7c4a2ff0e/69869be2cd804dd48fccbf11/google-contact-lens.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Google This undated photo released by Google shows a contact lens Google is testing to explore tear glucose. 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