Sarah Blake LaRose

I have often advised people against purchasing smart glasses because, in my thinking, all of the things that can be done with smart glasses can be done with the mobile phone or in other ways. So why spend the money on another device?

I have recently had an experience that has completely changed my outlook.

I have been doing some research that requires access to handwritten material. When I learned that the Envision glasses could read handwriting, I scheduled a demo. I was quite impressed with the things that could be done. I could certainly find it useful to have glasses on my face that could describe what was in front of me. How often had I wished that someone could see what I was actually looking at and tell me what it was! But no one can see what I see and do that. They can only estimate. But with a camera in front of my eye, it is theoretically possible.

So I made the purchase. The glasses ship with a titanium frame that has no lens. Your optician can mount your own prescription to this frame. I bought an extra set of lenses made by Smith Optics that have lenses. It is also possible to have the optician put my prescription in these frames if I want. The lenses in these frames are larger than my lenses, but they are standard size lenses for most people. When the camera is connected to the frame, the right ear piece is enlarged and some people may find them uncomfortable at first. I have gotten used to them.

I tried a couple of fun tests just to see what the glasses would do. It is possible to set them to “find object”. A limited set of objects are available to find, but they include footwear and cat. Since my cats are running around without collars, I had them find cat.

The glasses said, “When you hear a beep, the cat will be in front of you.” I started a general scan of the environment. Soon I heard [beep] “Cat is at 1:00.” I can’t wait to do this while I am volunteering at the animal shelter and there are 20 cats in the room!

The real test came yesterday. My dad gave me a notebook where he had done some writing. I sat down with the glasses and turned on instant text. I thought I would have to start instant text for every new page. No, I could just keep turning pages and it would keep reading! I cried as I sat there, reading my dad’s notes. I realized that I would be able to have my own private time with my family’s treasures just like anyone else does. I called my mom, and we talked about this. People have asked me throughout my life if I want to see, exclaimed about new advances in eye treatment because they think I’ll be driving soon, etc. I said to my mom that I’ve never cared to drive. I just want to read!

I sat down at a table in my book room, which faces a shelf where I have a bunch of print books that I have scanned. I started reading some pages in a book, and I didn’t have the angle of the glasses just right. They were reading the titles of books on the bookshelves, several feet away! I realized then that I could go to a library or bookstore and browse the shelves, like anyone else!

The glasses connect via bluetooth to my headphones. They would connect to any earbuds or even my hearing aids. My only disappointment at this point is the battery life. They only last for about four hours before needing a charge. It would be nice to have them last for a full work day.

They are not going to fix all my problems. A friend asked if they can help me read music. We aren’t there yet, and music is something I think I would always like to have in braille. But I really feel optimistic about where we are going with technology, and for the first time in my life I feel that I could access almost any piece of print.