Review: Hearview’s subtitle glasses means less confusion at the hairdresser

Communicating while deaf or hard-of-hearing has been a lifelong challenge for me. From sign language to hearing aids and cochlear implants, we navigate a spectrum of options - most of us juggle multiple tools to access speech. 

As a cochlear-implanted woman with audio neuropathy (and yes, I roll in a power chair too), I can tell you that even when my brain registers sound, it often translates it into gibberish. I lost my hearing at 35 and integrating various communication methods into my life has been quite the adventure. I've dabbled in basic sign language (not fluent enough for an interpreter, mind you) and rely on speech-to-text apps when I'm out and about. It's a quirky mix, but it’s what keeps me connected!

I’m all about leveraging tech to boost my independence, so when I recently stumbled upon Hearview’s Subtitle Glasses on Instagram, I had to check them out. 

These Bluetooth-enabled specs display green text on the right lens, capturing nearby speech with a whopping 95 per cent accuracy (which I can confirm!). They even translate some languages and alert you to doorbells, fire alarms and car beeps - super handy for a deaf gal like me, right?

Okay, let’s talk style: the bold black frames are more corporate than chic, but hey, they’re comfortable and discreet enough that no one notices my green-screen magic. Plus, I’m low vision and can’t read on-screen captions, so these bad boys finally let me have a conversation with my hair stylist last week for the first time ever! It felt so unusual for me to be able to have a one-on-one, not needing an extra person or device to just have a chat was pretty emotional for me.

Got your own prescription glasses? No problem! There’s a clip-in option for customised lenses, and a magnetic clip-on for sunnies. Charging is easy via USB and while you do need your phone on deck, I’m glued to mine anyway, so no biggie.

Not having to explain I’m deaf to the person behind the counter at a store for the first time also felt strange. The transaction was quick and they didn’t even notice I was screen-reading the lens. It felt almost sneaky for someone who is used to having to explain they’re unable to hear and then there are always those awkward ‘oh you don’t look deaf’ conversations that really ruin your day.

Another bonus is that since not everything online comes with captions, I can't access every TV show or video but these glasses make that a reality and have opened up so much more to watch.

Now, the downsides. One is that it takes a lot of concentration and energy to use these. You're trying to look at the person, read the lenses and facilitating both at the same time is super hard for me. Not something I could do for long periods. 

Then - and you guessed it - it’s the price tag. At NZ$2568 full price (excluding prescription lenses, but including an inner frame to add them) they ain’t cheap. They do offer some discounts throughout the year, but that’s still a chunk of hard earned cash to fork out. 

However, some good news arrived in my inbox after I’d completed this review that brings new hope. A competitor, Captify, has since released what looks to be a similar model at NZ$1178 (excluding prescription lenses), so although I was unable to review those competition is always good for our wallets. They boast new functions, better battery life and more. So I’m returning the Hearview glasses to try these later this year.

It’s my hope that a new disability system overhaul will lead to options like captioned glasses being funded in some way. They help so many of us lead more independent lives. My captioned glasses met the prior purchasing criteria of Individualised Funding prior to March 18 2024. They were only required due to my disabilities, they helped me be more independent, removed the need for a support worker to take me out in some cases and is not something that can be funded by our broken public health system. 

Let’s bring back that flexibility so more of us can communicate on our own terms. There are so many access barriers that we need to wait for society to get with the play on (come on accessibility building laws and an accessibility act, Luxon!). But with technology like apps or captioned glasses being right at our fingertips, let’s embrace how assistive technology can give us our own autonomy back.

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