Researchers develop new smartphone tool to assess hemoglobin levels

NEW YORK: Researchers have developed a way to use smartphone images of a person's eyelids to assess blood hemoglobin levels — a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. The ability to perform one of the most common clinical lab tests without a blood draw could help reduce the need for in-person clinic visits, make it easier to monitor patients who are in critical condition, the study, published in the Optica journal said. "Our new mobile health approach paves the way for bedside or remote testing of blood hemoglobin levels for detecting anemia, acute kidney injury and haemorrhages, or for assessing blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia." said study researcher Young Kim from Purdue University in the US. (IANS)