Contact lens technology developed by a Waterloo company has won a prestigious award.

Medella Health’s smart contact lens platform has been announced as the national winner of the James Dyson Award.

The technology uses contact lenses to monitor glucose levels in the person wearing them, and send that data to the wearer’s phone.

It eliminates the need for diabetes patients to draw blood or puncture their skin to gauge their glucose levels.

Medella Health has not yet applied for necessary regulatory approvals to get its product to market.

Later this month, the Medella Health team will learn whether they’ve been shortlisted as one of the 20 finalists for the international James Dyson Award.

The awards are open to post-secondary students who have invented a solution to a problem.

Two other projects from the University of Waterloo were named runners-up for the national award.

Penta Medical is developing wearable technology that can help rehabilitate physical injuries, while Arylla’s focus is on creating technology to verify the authenticity of food products.