Timeline for Blood Glucose Monitoring

	1965:	Ames Company releases Dextrostix, which work by applying a drop of blood onto a strip of paper that would change color according to the patient’s glucose level.
	1971:	Anton Hubert Clemens received the first patent for a blood glucose meter called the Ames Reflectance Meter on September 14, 1971. This meter was able to interpret Dextrostix more accurately by interpreting the light reflected by a color on the Dextrostix into a readable number.
	1978:	First home literature on diabetic blood glucose becomes available
	1981:	The Glucometer, made by Bayer, becomes the first home Glucose Monitoring device.
	1986:	The FDA, CDC, and American Diabetes Association convene to discuss Self Monitoring of Blood Glucose. They find that Self-Monitoring is a key tool in diabetes treatment, allowing patients to track their glucose levels over time, monitor their daily glucose levels, and to recognize emergency situations.
	1987:	The medical industry begins to produce lower cost home glucose meters, allowing more patients better access to care.
	1993:	National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases publishes study which shows that patients who self-monitored their glucose reduced chances for complications by 76% for eye disease, 50% for kidney disease, and 60% for nerve disease.
	2002:	The race to find a non-invasive continuous glucose monitoring system heats up as one company claims to have invented such a device. It is later found that their glucose monitor often causes skin irritation, and thus cannot truly be called “non-invasive.”
	2006:	The first continuous glucose monitoring via a device implanted under the skin is released.
	2008:	Continuous glucose monitors begin to be linked to insulin pumps.