EssilorLuxottica Presents Clinical Evidence for Nuance Audio Glasses at European Congress

EssilorLuxottica has released clinical findings demonstrating measurable improvements in hearing performance with its Nuance Audio Glasses, an open-ear hearing solution integrated into smart eyewear designed for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss.

The results from two independent studies were presented at the 69th EUHA Congress (European Union of Hearing Aid Acousticians) in Hanover, Germany, marking the first European presentation of the clinical data.

Dr. Tami Harel, Chief of Audiology of Nuance Audio at EssilorLuxottica, led the session titled "Clinical Efficacy of Open-Ear Hearing Aid Glasses," sharing outcomes from research conducted at Western University in Canada and Australia's National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL).

Study Results

The Western University study evaluated the glasses in controlled noise conditions designed to simulate everyday listening environments. Participants demonstrated up to 29% improvement in speech understanding under challenging acoustic conditions compared to unaided listening, along with significant reductions in listening effort as measured by standardised rating scales.

The NAL study assessed both laboratory performance and supervised real-world use over three hours. Results showed a 3.48 dB improvement in signal-to-noise ratio, which researchers described as clinically meaningful. After just three hours of real-world use, 70% of participants reported improved communication ability, with participants' top communication goals met in 84-95% of cases.

Notably, participants showed a preference for using the glasses as acoustic environments became more challenging, suggesting the technology performs best in the noisy, real-world situations where hearing support is most needed.

"One insight stands out across both studies: users prefer to wear Nuance Audio Glasses in the real, noisy conversations that matter most to them," said Dr. Harel. "These results mark an important achievement in terms of the post-market clinical validation of the product for early-stage hearing support."

Stefano Genco, Global Head of Nuance Audio at EssilorLuxottica, said the findings validate the company's vision of integrating advanced open-ear hearing technology into smart eyewear. He noted the global opportunity, with an estimated 1.25 billion people worldwide affected by mild to moderate hearing loss, according to the World Health Organization.

The studies involved 21 participants at Western University and 20 at NAL.