James Rowe: You what a hearing aid is, but hearing-aid glasses could be a game-changer for those who need to hear more clearly.
Hello and welcome to Which? Shorts, your free weekly insight into Which? magazine, as well as our money, tech, travel and gardening titles too. Today, I’m bringing you a piece that Joanna Pearl wrote for the April issue of Which? magazine all about hearing-aid glasses.
They’re relatively new to the market, aimed at offering a more stylish product to help those with mild to moderate hearing loss hear and see more clearly – with just one product. But just how effective and cost-effective are they? Here’s Joanna’s piece, adapted for the podcast, this week read by me, James Rowe.
James Rowe: It’s clear that traditional hearing aids have an image problem. According to hearing charity the RNID, just 3 million of the 10 million people who could benefit from hearing aids actually use them. Some of those people may not realise they have hearing loss, but others are put off using hearing aids because of the perceived stigma that surrounds them.
Unlike glasses, which can be considered a fashion statement, hearing aids can make people feel self-conscious. But a product launched last year could help to overcome this. Nuance Audio’s glasses integrate hearing aids into the frame, which makes them virtually unnoticeable. They’re designed for people with mild to moderate hearing loss who want to switch on hearing-aid features when needed – like to boost conversation and reduce background noise in a café, at a party or in a work setting.
They work best when you’re close to the sound source, such as a person sitting across from you at a table – perhaps in a restaurant or watching TV. Naturally, they’re likely to appeal to glasses wearers who prefer to set up the hearing tech themselves, choosing from pre-set programmes rather than attend a hearing clinic for an audiologist assessment, although some audiologists do supply them.
They sound good, right? Well, they can be if they suit your hearing loss and your lifestyle. They’re not intended to be worn all day like traditional hearing aids, and battery life can drop to around six hours in noisy environments on power-draining settings, so regular charging is required.
There are other trade-offs to consider too. For example, they won’t offer fine tuning to meet your unique hearing loss that tailored hearing aids provide. Also, they are only suitable for mild to moderate hearing loss and not suitable for one-sided or asymmetric hearing loss – as settings can’t be customised for each ear.
If you don’t normally wear glasses, you’ll need to remember to take them when you’re heading out – and then try not to leave them anywhere. Mark Whistler is a Which? member who wears them. He told us that forgetting his once too often was the reason he eventually sold them on eBay.
Cost is another factor. If your hearing loss gets worse and you later need prescription hearing aids, the £1,000-plus outlay on Nuance Audio glasses could end up being money wasted. Customers we surveyed paid on average £2,800 for a pair of hearing aids.
Other users we spoke to, though, had a more positive experience. Brian Nelson says they suit his needs well. He mainly uses them for socialising and controls the volume and microphone settings via the app, though he usually leaves them on the default settings.
Meta’s AI-powered smart glasses are another bit of over-the-counter health tech. Launched last year, they have an in-lens display – so they let you see live captions in real time to help you understand conversations you’re struggling to hear. A software update is also being rolled out that will add conversation focus – a feature that lets you amplify the voice of the person you’re speaking to.
These are encouraging times for people with milder hearing loss – those who are starting to miss parts of conversations or struggle in noisy places. Recent updates to regulations have expanded the definition of what can be marketed as a hearing aid without an audiologist assessment. This opens the door for more brands to enter the space. For example, newer models of Apple AirPods Pro include hearing features. Users can take a hearing test through the earbuds and adjust settings such as left-right balance, background noise reduction and conversation boost.
Some other earbud brands let you choose from pre-set hearing programmes, while other devices use a hearing test to personalise the aids to suit your hearing – signalling a shift towards more accessible, self-adjustable hearing support. But convenience shouldn’t replace clinical care where needed.
If you need hearing support all day or suspect more severe hearing loss, a full assessment is important. It can identify the type and degree of hearing loss and rule out underlying medical issues. While sudden hearing loss needs urgent treatment.
There’s also the issue of personalisation. Some people can buy inexpensive off-the-shelf reading glasses, while others need bespoke lenses for complex prescriptions. Hearing support works in a similar way. Self-fitting devices can work well for mild to situational hearing loss – but professional-assessed and programmed hearing aids are fine tuned for the individual’s hearing loss.
The key is to match the device to your hearing needs, lifestyle and budget – and not assume newer automatically means better. If you are in need of a hearing aid, we’ve surveyed over 3,500 users about areas including the range of products they were offered, the quality of aftercare, and whether they got value for money. We also ran comprehensive extra checks including a review of terms and conditions to ensure our Which? Recommended Providers offer a great deal to customers. Want to know which two providers we recommend? There’s a link in the show notes to find out.
