CES 2026: These Smart Glasses Could Help Some People See Even Better Than With Regular Glasses.
Smart glasses were a big hit at CES this year, but I was most impressed by a device that helps people with central vision loss, including those considered legally blind, see what they otherwise couldn’t. At the press conference, I met Liz Baker, a woman with macular degeneration who uses them daily, and I had the chance to try them out myself.
What is eSight Go and how does it work?
The device is called eSight Go. It’s a headset with small screens in front of your eyes, sort of like a VR headset, but small enough to rest on your nose. The battery is located on the back of your head, so you don’t have to support the weight of the battery. The glasses are bulky, but thanks to the battery design, I found them comfortable to wear.
This device is designed for people with central vision loss, including conditions such as macular degeneration. These conditions cause the central part of a person’s visual field to be blurred—objects they look at directly appear blurry or simply cannot be seen, but peripheral vision remains clear.
Conventional glasses can’t correct this problem because information in the center of the visual field is simply missing. But the eSight device works by providing such powerful magnification that a person’s peripheral vision can process what they see, and this central “blind spot” virtually disappears. The company’s research shows that people notice an improvement in vision of seven lines on eye charts—a significant improvement.
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As a sighted person, it’s hard for me to imagine exactly what it’s like, but Baker gave several examples. With the device, she can read product labels and see people’s facial features; without it, it’s literally blurry. She told me how she noticed her daughter’s freckles while looking through the eSight device, and how she used it to shop without assistance. (Previously, small print in stores was impossible to read; she says she regularly found herself buying shampoo when she wanted to buy conditioner.)
Practical application
The device has a dizzying array of features that I couldn’t master in my short time using it. Here are just a few: you can zoom in and out using buttons on the headset or a handheld remote control. You can increase the contrast of the object you’re viewing. You can freeze a frame, zoom in, and then turn your head to read the enlarged image, as if it were a huge billboard in front of you (even if it’s something small or far away, like a brochure in your hand or a menu on a restaurant wall).
The device costs $4,950 and is not covered by most insurance plans. The kit includes access to a “consultant” who is an eSight user and has vision impairments. This consultant can help new users learn the device’s features or perform specific tasks.
The eSight Go’s battery life is about four hours, so I asked Baker how she keeps the device charged throughout the day. She says she doesn’t wear the glasses all the time, which saves battery life. She wears them around her neck (essentially in sleep mode) when she’s not using them for reading text or looking closely at something.
Sales Director Roland Mattern says people testing the glasses sometimes zoom in to the maximum and note that it can be pixelated, but most users don’t need the maximum level of magnification, and those who do tend to find it’s still better than what they see without the glasses.
This high cost is typically not covered by insurance, although the Department of Veterans Affairs does cover it, and, according to Mattern, some users have occasionally been able to obtain coverage with other insurance companies. Other programs, such as state vocational rehabilitation programs that help people with disabilities return to work, can sometimes cover this cost.