Nuance Audio glasses: what they cost, what the FDA category means, and how they differ from smart glasses

1. What Nuance Audio glasses are: EssilorLuxottica’s hearing glasses

Nuance Audio is EssilorLuxottica’s line of hearing glasses. Its US site calls them “Hearing Glasses” with “built-in, open-ear speakers”, and its how-it-works page describes the product as “open-ear hearing aids built into lightweight frames” (nuanceaudio.com, checked October 31, 2026). Its home page says the first-generation glasses have directional microphones and open-ear speakers, and that its app lets you “adjust volume, reduce background noise, and switch between audio modes”. The pages we read (checked October 31, 2026) do not describe a camera, and the maker’s comparison page lists Bluetooth calls as not available on the first generation.

There are two generations, and the maker’s comparison page lists the differences:

• Battery:up to 8 hours for Nuance Audio Glasses, up to 10 hours for Nuance Audio Plus, “under average use conditions”.
• Sound:the original has “normal amplification for everyday hearing support”; Plus has “stronger amplification and warmer sound”.
• Controls: one button for power and volume on the original; a power slider plus volume and preset buttons on Plus.
• Calls: Bluetooth calls are not available on the original. On Plus they are supported on iOS, and the page says voice calls need an iPhone running iOS 16 or later.
• Styles: two designs, each in three colorways, for the original; three designs, each in five colorways, for Plus.

Nuance Audio Plus is sold in two versions: prescription, with lenses customised to your vision and an optional blue-violet light filter, and non-prescription, with light-responsive Transitions lenses. On the maker’s description, the prescription version puts the hearing device and lenses customised to your vision in one frame.

2. What Nuance Audio glasses cost

Nuance Audio glasses are listed from $699 for the first generation and from $829 for Nuance Audio Plus on the maker’s US shop page (checked October 31, 2026). Several listings show “From” before the price while others show a flat figure, so read every figure below as a starting price and confirm the final one at the maker’s checkout.

The shop page lists three lens options: clear prescription lenses, Transitions Gen S lenses and blue-violet light filtering. According to the maker’s shop page, the first-generation package includes a case, cloth, charging pad and cable, while the Plus package includes a foldable case, cleaning cloth, charging pad and USB-C cable. A remote control is sold separately for both generations, and the Plus charging case is sold separately.

The maker’s home page also says “We accept most plans” for insurance, has an FSA & HSA link in its footer and offers Klarna installments (checked October 31, 2026). Its “Warranty - Nuance Audio Plus” document runs one year from purchase, or two years in the EU, UK and EFTA, with repair or replacement among the remedies it names (checked October 31, 2026). We do not quote retailer or review-site prices, which can differ; check the maker’s page or the seller’s own listing, and read the maker’s Shipping and Returns page before you order.

3. The FDA part: what “over-the-counter hearing aid” means

The FDA created an over-the-counter hearing aid category that took effect on October 17, 2022. Per the FDA’s page(checked October 31, 2026), these devices are for adults 18 and older with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, can be bought “without the need for a medical exam, prescription, or a fitting adjustment by an audiologist”, and are “NOT for the treatment of severe or profound hearing loss”. People under 18 must buy hearing aids by prescription.

Announced:EssilorLuxottica’s press release dated February 3, 2025 says the company received “clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its OTC Nuance Audio Glasses” and that it achieved CE marking under the Medical Devices Regulation in the EU (press release as republished by BioSpace, checked October 31, 2026). We did not confirm the clearance in an FDA database entry, so this guide relies on the maker’s announcement for it.

Not confirmed:that release names “OTC Nuance Audio Glasses” and does not mention Nuance Audio Plus. The Plus pages we read (checked October 31, 2026) do not state FDA status, so we cannot say whether Plus carries the same clearance. Ask the maker or the seller, not a search result.

One more FDA distinction helps when comparing categories. The agency says hearing aids “are intended to make up for impaired hearing”, and that personal sound amplification products “are intended for people with normal hearing to amplify sounds in certain situations” (FDA consumer update, checked October 31, 2026). OXIVUE frames are sold as neither: they put speakers and microphones in a frame for music, calls and photos.

4. Hearing glasses vs smart audio glasses

Nuance Audio glasses and smart audio glasses are sold for different jobs. The table compares Nuance Audio, from its own pages, with OXIVUE’s M08 as an example of camera-and-audio glasses.

The practical difference is what each is sold to do. Nuance Audio sells its glasses as hearing glasses; OXIVUE sells its frames for music, calls and photos. If a pair is for music and calls, our glasses with speakers guide covers how open-ear sound behaves and where it stops, and smart glasses vs earbuds covers the trade-off against in-ear headphones.

5. How well do Nuance Audio glasses work?

The maker’s battery guide (checked October 31, 2026) gives “up to 8 hours of continuous use” for the original and “up to 10+ hours” for Plus, and breaks the figures down by noise level. For the original, that is up to 8 hours in quiet, 7 to 8 hours in moderate noise and 5.5 to 7 hours in loud settings. For Plus it is up to 10 hours 36 minutes in quiet, around 10 hours 15 minutes in moderate noise and approximately 9 hours 38 minutes in loud settings. The page adds that “All battery life claims are approximate” and does not describe a charge time.

For an outside view, HearingTracker’s review (updated September 21, 2026; checked October 31, 2026) is written by an audiologist with lab testing by HearAdvisor, and gives a verdict of 3.5/5 (the article text also gives a HearingTracker Score of 3.2). In our paraphrase, it finds the glasses comfortable and discreet, with solid speech clarity and a simple app, and suited to adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss who want situational help. It lists the limits as battery of roughly 6 to 8 hours, no Bluetooth audio streaming or hands-free calls, preset programs rather than a fit based on a hearing test, and open-fit drawbacks such as feedback and own-voice echo. The $699 price and the lack of hands-free calls it describes match the first generation, and we did not read an independent review of Nuance Audio Plus for this page.

Other coverage showed up in Google results for this search on October 31, 2026, including pieces from Wired and ENT & Audiology News and a Reddit thread in r/HearingAids, none of which we read for this page. Read more than one source before you decide, and note that we have not tested the glasses ourselves. If you are unsure whether they are the right kind of device, Nuance Audio offers an online screening test and in-store demos (checked October 31, 2026), and an audiologist can test your hearing.

6. Glasses for deafness or severe hearing loss

No smart glasses from OXIVUE are made for deafness or severe hearing loss. The FDA says its over-the-counter category is not for severe or profound loss, and the reviewer above describes the Nuance Audio glasses as suited to adults with perceived mild to moderate loss. If you have significant hearing loss, an audiologist or doctor is the starting point rather than a pair of glasses.

OXIVUE glasses have no display, so they cannot show text, and OXIVUE makes no claim about hearing. The translation feature in the companion app plays translated audio only to the wearer, so it is not a substitute for hearing the person speaking.

7. Where OXIVUE fits: open-ear audio, not hearing aids

OXIVUE frames are open-ear audio glasses. They are not hearing aids, they carry no FDA hearing-aid status, and OXIVUE makes no claim that they help you hear. They play music and calls through open-ear speakers while leaving your ears uncovered, and the M08 adds an 8 MP camera. If your question is about hearing, speak to a hearing professional.

If what you want is music, calls and photos from a pair of sunglasses, the M08 is $99 at checkout (listed $149). It weighs about 42 g, is rated 7 hours of listening and 4 hours of calls, and has an 8 MP camera that starts only with a touch on the temple. Ask before you record or photograph people. It comes with a sun, photochromic or clear lens; the photochromic lens darkens in UV light and turns close to clear indoors. It has no display and takes no prescription lenses, so if you need a prescription in the same frame, it is not the right fit. You can compare every OXIVUE model on the comparison page, and smart glasses for seniors explains what these frames are and are not for older wearers.

Shipping, refunds and warranty. Free shipping from $99. US orders typically arrive in 5–9 business days. International orders take 9–14 business days after shipment. Import VAT or duties outside the US are paid by the recipient. No refunds except transit damage (replaced or refunded); faults are repaired or replaced under the 2-year warranty; change of mind and unmet expectations are not refundable. None of our frames take prescription lenses. Read the refund policy, the shipping policy and the warranty page.

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