How do XanderGlasses work for people who wear eyeglasses?

If you're one of the 63.7% of adult Americans who wear prescription eyeglasses and you also have hearing challenges, you may be wondering if you can wear XanderGlasses or how they will work for you.  Yes, many people who need prescription eyeglasses wear Xander Captioning Glasses, including both of Xander’s co-founders.

Some  of the most common follow-up questions are: "Can I order lenses to match my eyeglass prescription?" "How does that work?" In a nutshell, the type of lenses you normally wear will determine if you need custom prescription lenses for XanderGlasses. Custom lenses are available for single-vision prescriptions, depending on your needs. Read this short overview to learn more.

1. I wear reading glasses or I’m farsighted and use prescription eyeglasses to magnify small print.

Most people who need reading glasses or magnification can read the captions on XanderGlasses easily, without their reading glasses. Why? First, XanderGlasses project captions away from your eyes, at about arm's length.  Second, the standard text size for the captions is large and can be adjusted to your needs. One user described the experience in the video below.

Custom lenses for XanderGlasses are available for single-vision distance prescriptions only—custom lenses to magnify small print are not available. XanderGlasses are not “fit-overs” and should not be worn over any glasses, even readers. 

2. I wear progressive (multi-focal) or bi-focal lenses.

Custom multi- or dual-focal lenses cannot be made for XanderGlasses. But, good news! We can order custom lenses to accommodate the distance portion of your prescription. XanderGlasses project the captions a few feet in front of you, not close to your eyes, so your distance prescription should enable you to read the captions clearly. The image below is taken from behind XanderGlasses to show how the captions appear to a person wearing XanderGlasses while having a conversation.  The captions are visible only to the wearer and look like they are floating in space near the person speaking.  

The image shows the standard size and positioning of the semi-transparent captions. Most users of XanderGlasses find they can easily read the large size of text without their readers or the near vision prescription of progressives. You can also adjust the size of the text if you need it to be larger or smaller.

3. I wear prescription lenses for distance vision only.

Prescription lenses for single-distance vision are available for XanderGlasses. Since the captions are projected at a distance, you likely will need your prescription to read the captions.

4. How do I order custom lenses for XanderGlasses and what is the cost?

Xander will cover the cost of your single-vision distance prescription ($200) at no additional charge.* The process takes longer and entails a few steps. After you place an order or pre-order, you or your optometrist will upload your most recent eyeglass prescription. Once the prescription is received, it takes about 6 weeks to receive XanderGlasses with custom lenses.

*Please note: the cost of prescription lenses is not refundable. If you decide to return XanderGlasses within the 30-day return window, we will refund the cost of XanderGlasses, fully minus the $200 cost of prescription lenses.

5. What if I wear contact lenses, not glasses?

You can wear XanderGlasses over your contacts, the same way you can wear regular sunglasses over contacts. If you have other questions about how XanderGlasses work with prescription glasses, reach out to us at support@xander.tech.