In the U.S., the National Institutes of Health estimates that 1 in 3 people between the ages of 65
and 74 has hearing loss. Nearly 50% of those older than 75 are already hard of hearing. Hearing
loss may be caused by a number of factors including genetics, aging, exposure to noise,
some infections, birth complications, trauma to the ear, and certain medications or toxins.
Hearing loss is associated with Alzheimers disease and dementia. The risk increases with the
hearing loss degree. Hearing loss can lead to cognitive decline, falling down, depression,
speaking, and neurology disorders such as tinnitus.
Besides the many types of hearing aids, which vary in price from under $100 to over $5,000 for a
set, a new technology of smart glasses is available for the hearing impaired. They offer built-in
hearing aids to closed captioning and access to the Internet for the tech savvy seniors.
Several companies have recently introduced smart glasses capable of providing text in the
eyeglass of what you are hearing (aka closed captioning text). Xander Glasses were introduced at
the recent Consumer Electronics Show, which provides noise cancelling microphones with 90%
accuracy, closed captioning, rechargeable batteries, lightweight, UV protection, safety rated, and
can be fitted with your eye prescription. Cost to be announced soon!
The Epson Moverio, Google, Voicee, LLVision, & XRAI smart glasses also offer closed
captioning plus some offer multiple languages and cost more with the extra features. However,
all smart glasses with captioning features don’t always work well in noisy areas. Some say 90%
accuracy in noisy areas, while others may not be as good. Depending on the features, they vary
in price from $500 to $1,200.
This is another great use of technology that helps many Americans with hearing disabilities. Bob
Larson is a technologist and Marketing Director for 50 Plus!