Forget hearing aids — these smart glasses can amplify voices to help those hard of hearing

The wellness tech industry has seen some impressive introductions in the last year or so, especially when it comes to wearables. The idea of sporting a device that improves your health and wellbeing whilst being integrated into your daily routine or aesthetic has proved extremely popular, and it's not going away anytime soon. 

Taking place last month, CES 2024 saw a wide variety of these products, including the Evie Ring. However, there was one that stood out a little further than the rest. A leading designer and manufacturer of top-quality eyecare and eyewear products, EssilorLuxottica announced the launch of Nuance Audio, a pair of smart glasses with advanced hearing solution. 

EssilorLuxottica is home to brands such as Ray-Ban, Oakley, Oliver Peoples, Sunglass Hut and LensCrafters. The company collaborated on the RayBan Meta Smart Glasses last year, and are now back with Nuance Audio. 

Designed for consumers with mild to moderate hearing loss, Nuance Audio will help eliminate the need for traditional hearing aids by integrating open-ear hearing technology into fashionable eyeglasses. The glasses are expected to launch in North America later in 2024, with plans to expand shortly after that. To adjust the volume, users will be able to control via the glasses themselves or use the accompanying app. It will also be possible to add vision prescription to the lenses.

At CES 2024, the EssilorLuxottica booth also featured Ray-Ban Meta, its iconic Ray-Ban glasses with built-in cameras, open-ear audio, AI-powered solutions and the ability to livestream and take calls hands-free. 

"Throughout our 10-year smart eyewear journey, we have honed our R&D, manufacturing, and distribution capabilities through several partnerships and product releases, including the recent introduction of RayBan Meta. At CES, we will take our place among the world’s leading innovators with a product, Nuance Audio, that has the potential to improve quality of life for over a billion people,” said Francesco Milleri, Chairman and CEO at EssilorLuxottica.