EssilorLuxottica brought a new development in hearing technology to 100% Optical (1–3 March 2025).
Nuance Audio glasses feature an integrated hearing solution designed for individuals with mild to moderate hearing loss.
Raffaello Infantino, Nuance Audio director of system and delivery integration at EssilorLuxottica, explained that the aim was to create a frame that is both “very comfortable and fashionable” and incorporates “in a completely invisible manner, the typical technology of hearing aids.”
Microphones positioned around the frame collect the sound, which is analysed by an algorithm to identify the correct frequencies to amplify through air conduction via two speakers embedded in the frame near the ears.
“All these features are managed in less than eight milliseconds – so very fast,” Infantino said, adding that there is not a perceivable delay in receiving the amplified sound.
Wearers calibrate and control the hearing solution through a mobile app, with four audio presets to address different amplification requirements, and options to reduce or amplify background noise.
Wearers can select an ‘audio mode’ to adjust the direction of amplification from in-front, such as if they are talking to another person, or all-around, for environmental awareness.
Some features can also be controlled directly from the frames, including changing volume or toggling directionality of amplification.
Infantino explained that the eyewear has been designed to support the insertion or removal of prescription lenses without the need to heat the frame. The shape of the temples and flexible hinges ensure comfort and a good fit, he added.
Alan Pitcher, EssilorLuxottica UK and Ireland commercial sales director, said: “Many of our customers already offer hearing care, but we also know that many individuals still feel a real stigma around wearing hearing aids, so they simply avoid going down a route where they actually treat their hearing condition.”
Explaining the benefit that Nuance Audio could offer patients, he added: “We know that there are many individuals who do not make a conscious buying decision around a hearing aid for quite a considerable time, so this is a device that is looking to target individuals who will be buying a pair of glasses and could possibly benefit from hearing enhancement with immediate effect.”
Pitcher explained that the launch of a product like Nuance Audio is complex. He explained: “There are a number of things that need to take place internally before we’re able to confidently bring this to market. Clearly one of the elements that has to be factored in is our ability to glaze and mount lenses into this product.”
"I would say Transitions Gen S lenses are a pre-requisite for the optimised pair of Nuance Audio, simply because it would allow the patient to be comfortable all-day every-day and wear the product to maximum effect and benefit from the hearing enhancement all of the time,” he added.
An initial pilot launch is being held this spring, and EssilorLuxottica is seeking expressions of interest from practices who are interested in engaging with the product.
The company is aiming for a general release of Nuance Audio this summer, Pitcher said: “With a view that every independent opticians practice in the UK and Ireland should carry this product to provide the best clinical care to their patients for both vision and hearing.”
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