Nuance Audio Hearing Glasses combine sight and sound boosts

Combining hearing aids, for those with mild to moderate hearing loss, and glasses — prescription too — these FDA-cleared eyepieces improve sight and sound for those who need it. They’re designed to help you hear better in noisy environments and see better under various conditions.

Imagine as a teacher you struggle with difficulty hearing your students in a loud classroom. Or, as an office professional, you have trouble holding genuine conversations with your co-workers in an open workspace. What about just having a good heart to heart talk with the family at the dinner table? All totally normal experiences that are difficult for those with mild to moderate hearing loss. Hearing aids, especially OTC (over-the-counter) options are a reliable way to deal with this and return to some semblance of a normal life. Enter the FDA-cleared Nuance Audio Hearing Glasses. They are glasses, sporting either Nuance’s Transitions Gen S lenses for light-responsive experiences indoors or out, or prescription lenses if you need them. But also, they have built-in hearing aids.

Not your average hearing aids that you’d expect, however. They have integrated open-ear speakers to help capture and direct audio you’re trying to hear in the world around you, like someone speaking across the table. You can use the mobile app to adjust volume and other settings, including lowering background noise or adjusting various effects and presets. Ultimately, the glasses pull in the audio you want to hear cutting through all the ambient and background noise.

Why combine audio and sight for hearing glasses?

I’ve tried devices like this before. Although in a much more rudimentary format, the WearIQ smart glasses have Bluetooth connectivity and speakers incorporated so you can listen to audio while wearing the glasses. Granted, they’re not for conversations and not at all meant to be used the same way. But the point I’m getting at is that it’s a very unique experience to have audio coming through eyewear that you’re already wearing on your head and around your ears.

The Nuance Audio Hearing Glasses are very discreet, if you care about that sort of thing and simply look like a regular pair of sunglasses or prescription glasses. Of course, they utilize next-generation audio engineering to help you hear more clearly and participate better in conversations, especially in crowded places. Ever try to talk to someone over the sound of clanking dishes and silverware? It’s tough.

In clinical testing and real-world use, Nuance audio says they deliver up to a 29% improvement in speed understanding in noisy environments. They also reduce listening fatigue for everyone — those you’re talking to don’t have to repeat themselves multiple times — and 70% of participants have reported improved communication after just wearing them for a couple of hours.