06/27/2025
A Letter from Our President: Sharing a Story about New Hearing-Enhancing Eyewear
As someone who’s spent years helping people see better at Reading Glasses To Go, I recently discovered something that’s made a real difference for someone I care about: Nuance Audio Amplifying Eyeglasses, just FDA-approved in January 2025. I want to share my experience with you.
These glasses blend vision correction with built-in hearing amplification. I’ve seen firsthand how they helped Dorothy, my almost 99-year-old, former employee who recently recovered from a hospital stay.
Two years ago, Dorothy’s hearing, once sharp, began to fade. After a hearing test, she was advised to avoid traditional hearing aids—easy to lose and often uncomfortable—and try a hearing amplification device instead. I got her one from Amazon for under $100, a clunky setup with a receiver wired to a spring headset. It worked initially, but it was hard to position, hurt her ears after minutes, and soon gave up, holding just one ear cushion to hear better.
When I heard Nuance Audio glasses were coming, I hoped they could be helpful for Dorothy. An unexpected hospitalization made her hearing struggles feel even more urgent. The full shipment of glasses hadn’t arrived yet, but I rushed the one tester kit to her in the hospital. Setup was almost too easy, controlled by an app on any smartphone. The glasses fit her comfortably, looking like regular stylish eyewear. I adjusted the volume and settings to include or filter out surrounding chatter, and Dorothy could follow conversations with little effort. They hold a charge all day, feel comfortable for long periods, and caused no discomfort. The hospital staff were enthusiastic and grateful about the technology, as it is allowing Dorothy to participate and stay informed in all her healthcare decisions.
I wish I’d had these for my mother, who struggled with losing expensive in-ear hearing aids. They were a struggle to get her to wear, often painful, and she’d pull them out. With Nuance Audio glasses, it’s different. They’re hard to lose, simple to put on and take off, and need no assistance. If misplaced, they’re as easy to find as any glasses. Available with or without prescription lenses, including Transitions lenses that darken outdoors, these high-quality, classic frames suit people from their 30s to 90s and beyond.
Manufactured by EssilorLuxottica, the name behind Ray-Ban and Oakley, these glasses use six built-in microphones and beamforming technology to amplify speech while reducing background noise—great for conversations in busy settings. Adjust settings via the Nuance Audio app. I found the glasses, which cost around $1,100–$1,200, to be a practical option for Dorothy compared to the hassle of traditional hearing aids. They’re available over-the-counter for adults 18+ with mild to moderate hearing loss, no audiologist visit needed.
If you’re curious about how these glasses work, you can try them out at Reading Glasses To Go any Monday through Saturday. I’d love for you to see what I’ve seen with Dorothy’s experience.
I’m grateful for the chance to share Dorothy’s story with you. I hope Dorothy’s story shows you how these glasses could help a friend, loved one, or even yourself.
Warm regards,
Peter Granoff
President, Reading Glasses To Go
