Eyeglasses With Built-In Hearing Aids: This Just Makes Sense -- WSJ

Dow Jones
06/22

By Nicole Nguyen

These aren't just any specs. They're eyeglasses with hearing aids built in, designed for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. Look closely and you'll see tiny speakers in the arms and microphones around the front.

The $1,200 Nuance Audio frames, which launched in the U.S. in April, join Apple's AirPods Pro 2 as an auditory option for people who don't want traditional hearing aids. Some find hearing aids uncomfortable, or even stigmatizing. In this eyewear, made by Ray-Ban parent EssilorLuxottica, the tech is practically invisible.

But how do they sound?

When I put them on, the murmur of the coffee shop became a roar in my ear. I don't have hearing loss, so I sent the glasses -- complete with prescription corrective lenses -- to two people who could fully test them: Beth Yauman, my friend's mom, and Peter Rothman, my editor's father. While they have different hearing issues, they both miss parts of conversations in noisy surroundings.

Their takeaway? The Nuance Audio glasses can upgrade your hearing and your vision -- once you get the hang of using them.

A challenge for the tech-wary

While millions of Americans have mild to moderate hearing loss, few wear aids. Barriers include price, audiologist appointments, social stigma, discomfort and, yes, over-the-ear competition with eyeglasses. Loss of hearing can lead to social isolation and cognitive decline, say doctors, so the more solutions, the better. And many affordable nonprescription options missed the mark.

The Nuance Audio glasses address those issues, at a price that's on par with regular aids. Prescription lenses cost extra. A hearing test online can determine whether you're a good candidate for this over-the-counter option, and many LensCrafters, Pearle Vision and Target Optical locations are selling them, with free tryouts. (If you have sudden hearing loss, you should see a doctor regardless.)

Yauman needs prescription eyewear and hearing aids, so these frames seemed like a good solution.

Last year, she tried the AirPods Pro 2's hearing-aid feature, but settled on hearing aids with longer battery life. Then her dog Buddy ate the $1,700 pair -- a common occurrence, say audiologists.

I set up the Nuance Audio with Yauman, a former child psychologist who admits she's not a techie. "I felt overwhelmed when I picked them up," said the 75-year-old Rossmoor, Calif., resident.

The glasses connect wirelessly to a mobile app where you can tweak volume and choose from four presets that amplify different frequencies. You can also toggle between picking up sounds from the direction you're facing or sounds from all around your head. Tapping the right temple in different ways can adjust the settings, but Yauman found the actions hard to memorize. She would prefer a set-it-and-forget-it approach.

Yauman, who has memory loss from a stroke, found the glasses integrated well without her having to adjust her daily routine. She charges them on a wireless pad next to her bed, though nailing the orientation (top down) was a little tricky. Fortunately, Buddy didn't want to snack on them.

The lightweight Nuance Audio frames have open-ear speakers, rather than bone conduction like some prescription aid/glasses combos. Standing a few feet from Yauman, I couldn't hear audio from the speakers. She said they sounded a little more "echoey" than her traditional hearing aids. But my speaking voice was "clear and smooth" with her preferred frequency settings.

Ideal for the tech-savvy

The Nuance Audio glasses come in two frame styles, square and round, available in black or burgundy. Yauman wished there were more options, but Rothman, an 81-year-old retired doctor based in Fort Wayne, Ind., was happy with the Wayfarer-style look. (The company says more styles are in the works.)

Rothman prefers a setting that boosts higher frequencies, to combat tinnitus and hearing loss. Without the glasses, he said, "if I'm sitting in the kitchen and the dishwasher is on, I can't hear my wife."

He has never worn traditional hearing aids. Rothman tried AirPods Pros, but he worried they would fall out (and that he might look rude wearing them while socializing). A birth injury to his left ear canal makes any in-ear gear challenging. The glasses are "far superior" to the AirPods, he said.

Rothman is comfortable with technology. During dinner conversations, he often has his phone under the table to adjust the volume and audio direction. "I can subtly shift it without people noticing," he said.

The Nuance Audio's sound is "very natural, except at high volumes," he said. When loud noises become harsh and tinny, Rothman turns the volume down.

At a recent family gathering with nine adults and six kids, he could easily tune into conversations. "It was much more pleasant and relaxing than the Easter party, when I forgot to bring my glasses," he said.

The glasses can last eight hours on a single charge, while many traditional hearing aids can last days. Yauman rarely removes her glasses, so the battery runs out by the end of the day. Rothman only turns on hearing assistance while he's out and about, so the battery doesn't run down. While they connect to the app via Bluetooth, the glasses can't be used to stream music, like AirPods or some hearing aids.

These hearing glasses are great for gadget-minded people who don't need deeply personalized auditory controls.

I am wary of one thing we couldn't test: the lifespan. After 2 1/2 years, the battery life will degrade to about 80% of its original capacity and can't be replaced, the company says. While many lithium-ion battery hearing aids are in a similar situation, others with coin-cell batteries can last up to six years. That is, if your dog doesn't eat them first.

Write to Nicole Nguyen at nicole.nguyen@wsj.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 22, 2025 09:00 ET (13:00 GMT)

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