Living with glaucoma often means coping with loss of peripheral and contrast vision. Thankfully, vision aid technology continues to evolve, offering tools that enhance quality of life, whether you’re navigating daily tasks or engaging with loved ones. In 2025, a range of innovative options are available, from wearable assistants to apps that read for you.

Note: The Glaucoma Community has not tested or endorsed these products. This information is provided for informational purposes only.

Smart Glasses & AI-Powered Wearables

Smart glasses are becoming some of the most user-friendly and powerful aids on the market:

• Meta’s AI-powered Ray-Ban Smart Glasses bring real-time descriptions of objects, text, and environments directly through your lens. Accessible at around $300, they now integrate the Be My Eyes app for seamless assistance.
  
• AI-driven wearable kits, showcased recently in a study, combine smart glasses with tactile feedback tools—like vibrating wristbands—to help visually impaired users navigate safely. The system offers spatial cues such as “turn left” or “right 50 degrees”.

These devices help restore context and awareness—from reading signs to navigating spaces—making independence more achievable than ever. 

Electronic & Optical Low-Vision Aids

Don’t overlook simpler but highly effective tools, especially when tailored to glaucoma-related vision loss:

• Optical aids: Items like high-powered magnifiers, telescopic glasses, sector prisms, and large-print overlays remain invaluable for tasks requiring focus or distance precision. 
• Electronic aids and apps: Video magnifiers, OCR/text-to-speech tools, and dedicated low-vision features on tablets and computers help you read, write, and explore on-screen content more comfortably.

Professionals in low-vision care recommend selecting aids based on your specific visual objectives—such as reading, mobility, or contrast tasks. Find other assistive technology tools based on your needs here. 

Emerging AI & Wearable Prototypes

Looking ahead, cutting-edge technologies are reshaping possibilities beyond today’s mainstream devices:

• AIris, a prototype AI-powered wearable, offers real-time audio descriptions of surroundings. It supports functionality like object identification, scene interpretation, and obstacle detection—all delivered through smart eyewear .
  

• GazePrompt, another research breakthrough, enhances reading for low-vision users by tracking gaze behavior and highlighting lines or words for better clarity and comprehension.

Though not yet commercially available, these tools point toward a future where assistive tech merges naturally with human interaction, making vision support more intuitive and proactive.

To ensure that we always provide you with high-quality, reliable information, The Glaucoma Community closely vets all sources. We do not, however, endorse or recommend any specific providers, treatments, or products, and the use of a given source does not imply an endorsement of any provider, treatment, medication, procedure, or device discussed within.