In July, EssilorLuxottica announced its plans to expand into the hearing solutions market, enabled by its acquisition of Nuance Hearing earlier in the year. With a dedicated Super Audio team and in-house R&D resources, the Group plans to introduce an integrated technology at the intersection of vision and sound for the 1.25 billion people experiencing mild to moderate hearing loss.

The Group’s Super Audio team is working on its first product, embedding a high-quality hearing technology into fashionable eyeglasses seamlessly, expected to launch in the second half of 2024.

Francesco Milleri, Chairman and CEO of EssilorLuxottica, and Paul du Saillant, deputy CEO said: “While sight remains our core business – and growing the optical market our strategy – we are uniquely positioned to open up a new avenue for the industry by addressing the need for good hearing with innovative technologies. As we did in the vision space, we will be the first to remove the stigma of traditional hearing solutions, replacing it with comfort and style.”

The audio component will be completely invisible, removing a psychological barrier that has historically stood in the way of consumer adoption of traditional hearing aids.

A prototype of the solution will be on display at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show, the most powerful tech event in the world, which will be taking place from the 9 to the 12 of January 2024 in Las Vegas.

Click on this press release and visit the Nuance Audio website to find out more.