Technology that really works: why the blind need smart glasses

While the smart glasses market is still debating their usefulness for the masses, among visually impaired people these devices have already become an important tool in everyday life.

Answering simple but critical questions - whether this bus is going to the right neighbourhood, whether the restaurant is serving fish, who is standing across the street - modern models of smart glasses help those for whom visual information is inaccessible.

As Aaron Preece, editor-in-chief of the American Foundation for the Blind's AccessWorld magazine, notes, for sighted people smart glasses only repeat what they already see. For blind users they open access to the world around them, Techxplore writes with reference to AFP.

According to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, there are about 43 million completely blind people in the world and another 295 million with moderate or severe visual impairment.

From smartphones to glasses

Smartphone apps have long helped people with visual impairments, but they require holding the device and pointing the camera at all times. Smart glasses attached to the head make the process more intuitive and natural.

The most popular right now remain AI glasses from Meta in Ray-Ban and Oakley designs. They can describe what's happening in front of the user by voice, and through the Be My Eyes app, a volunteer can be connected to explain in real time what the camera is showing.

Startups are creating bottom-up solutions

Several startups, including those presented at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, are developing a specialised ecosystem for blind users.

US company Agiga has developed EchoVision glasses with input from users themselves, including musician Stevie Wonder. According to the developers, their system gives more detailed audio descriptions. The 110-degree camera captures 50 per cent more space, reducing the need to turn your head.

EchoVision is scheduled to be sold in the first quarter of 2026. It's priced at $599, not including a subscription to AI services. For comparison, the basic version of Meta glasses costs from $299.

Netherlands-based Envision has released a model in conjunction with Solos at a price of $699, including a year of access to Ally software. Further, a subscription will cost $10 a month. The company believes that it is difficult to make a business focused solely on blind users affordable, so it relies on universal software compatible with different brands of glasses.

New features and limitations

The development of AI is expanding the capabilities of such devices. For example, startup HapWare has developed a tactile bracelet that analyses the non-verbal signals of the interlocutor through the glasses and transmits information about his emotions through vibrations.

Envision is also testing a mode of continuous voice description of the environment and a function of automatic warning of approaching people or objects.

At the same time, the developers emphasise the limitations of the technology: due to possible AI errors, smart glasses are not yet recommended to be used as the main navigation tool. Even a small inaccuracy can be dangerous.

Nevertheless, for many everyday tasks - from photography to indoor orientation - such devices are already bringing tangible benefits.