Vision Technology Questions

Our most frequently asked questions about the latest vision tech.

Your practice has embraced new technology in eyewear. What impresses you about this area of eye care?

Wearable technology is reshaping the landscape of eye care, blending vision, hearing, and digital connectivity into functional devices that enhance quality of life—especially for those with low vision and/or mild to moderate hearing loss.

Smart glasses like the Nuance Audio hearing enhancement eyewear and Meta Ray-Bans are at the forefront. These devices integrate microphones, speakers, and sometimes even AI-driven features to amplify sound, provide real-time notifications, and assist with navigation—all while maintaining a discreet appearance. For patients with hearing loss, this means better communication without the stigma sometimes associated with traditional hearing aids. The unique feature for me is the microphone placements – there are three. One on the front that is ideal for a one-to-one conversation with someone where there is a lot of background noise. The others are located on each temple to pick up sounds from the sides, as a traditional hearing aid does. These are ideal for dinner conversations or whenever you have multiple people in a room speaking. The included phone app allows the user to customize how the microphones and speakers work.

For low vision patients, wearable tech is really opening new doors. AR-enabled smart eyewear and AI-powered visual aids can read your mail and menus for example, and even describe surroundings using audio and video cues. Some models use object recognition and GPS to help users navigate unfamiliar environments more confidently. These tools are especially empowering for individuals with conditions like macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa.

From a clinical standpoint, optometrists are beginning to integrate these technologies into patient care—offering guidance on device selection, training, and even partnering with tech developers to ensure accessibility and usability. It’s a shift toward holistic sensory support, where vision care intersects with hearing, mobility, and digital wellness.

Meta just released an update that enables live translation. With this enhancement, plus taking pictures without a phone in hand, will travelers embrace this tech?

Yes, of course. Meta’s latest update to its Ray-Ban smart glasses is awesome for travelers. The addition of live translation—now supporting English, French, Italian, and Spanish—means wearers can engage in real-time conversations. Yes, Google Translate works similarly, but there’s a phone between you and the other person. Combine that with hands-free photo and video capture, music streaming, and even AI-powered scene recognition, and you’ve got a travel companion that’s part translator, part camera crew, and part tour guide with real-time conversations across language barriers, all without pulling out a phone!

And it’s not just for travel. Lori, one of our opticians, just yesterday used the Meta glasses to do a frame selection with a lady who had very limited English language skills.

What other new technologies are being developed?

A new drop for presbyopia was released recently. People under 50 who do not have much distance prescription can use the drop to avoid keeping up with a pair of reading glasses. The drops are instilled in the morning and will last about 8 hours. We’ve had a couple of other drops in this category in the past few years without much long-term success, but the vibe on this one has been quite positive already. A month’s supply will run about 79 dollars. Additionally, people over 40 who require a distance prescription and use contact lenses for correction can also benefit from this drop. We do have multifocal contact lenses as well, so this is just one more option we can offer.

Myopia (nearsightedness) is becoming a worldwide epidemic. Kids are getting nearsighted at earlier ages and needing increasingly stronger prescriptions than in previous decades. Essilor has just released the Stellest Lens, which is currently indicated for children who are nearsighted and between the ages of six and twelve. It has been available in Europe since 2020, and the results have been quite positive in slowing down the progression of myopia. The unique lens design has a central clear area, but there is some peripheral blur, which helps slow down the progression. We also have the MiSight contact lenses that have a similar effect.