Available to order — fitted by the optometrist team at Rose Optometry, Hamilton, and shipped NZ-wide.
If you have been searching for hearing aid glasses in NZ, this is the current state of the art: Nuance Audio Plus, launched September 2026, puts a hearing system for mild-to-moderate loss inside a prescription frame, with the battery, microphones and phone-call support the first generation lacked.
Upturn 52 in Deep Blue
The Upturn 52 is the most feminine shape in the Plus range: a gently upswept cat-eye front in a 52mm eye, with shorter 140mm temples that suit smaller heads. It reads as a frame you chose because you liked it, not because it does something.
A navy that sits between black and colour: professional enough for work, warmer on the face than black.
Fit and sizing — Upturn 52
- Lens 52mm · bridge 18mm · temple 140mm · lens height 38.1mm · hinge-to-hinge 125.6mm
- Frame size S (regular fit), universal bridge; soft cat-eye shape, designed for women
- Best on narrow-to-average faces. The 38.1mm depth suits single vision and most progressives; if you rely on a large reading area, the Square 53 gives you more room. Temples are 140mm, so it also suits people who find standard 145mm arms too long.
Lens options for the Deep Blue Upturn 52
- Standard lenses — NZ$1,699. The frame arrives with demo lenses and our optometrists fit your prescription in Hamilton: single vision, progressive, occupational, blue-light or tinted. Lens pricing is quoted at your fitting.
- Transitions® Clear to Amber — NZ$1,859. Factory-fitted light-adaptive lenses: clear indoors, darkening outdoors in a tint chosen to suit the deep blue frame.
What Nuance Audio Plus does
Speakers sit inside the temples and fire toward your ears, so nothing goes in the ear canal and you can still hear the room naturally. A beamforming microphone array lifts the voice in front of you and pushes back the clatter around you, with three noise-reduction levels. Volume and power are on the frame; presets, listening modes and battery are in the Nuance Audio app. Phone calls come through the frame too. Expect roughly 10 hours between charges.
Designed for mild-to-moderate hearing difficulty — the point where a quiet conversation is easy but a restaurant is exhausting. Not a replacement for medical hearing aids in more significant loss; if your hearing has changed noticeably, have it tested first.
Why buy Nuance Audio Plus from Rose Optometry
We are optometrists first. That means the frame is adjusted so the microphones sit at the right height, your prescription goes in properly, and if the hearing side of things turns out to need more than Nuance Audio Plus can give, we will say so and point you to a hearing test in Hamilton rather than sell you the frame anyway.
Book a Nuance Audio Plus fitting in Hamilton → Try them on, hear them working in a real room, and leave with the app set up. Or order online and we will arrange fitting when you collect.
Nuance Audio Plus Upturn 52 Deep Blue — frequently asked questions
Where can I buy Nuance Audio Plus glasses in NZ?
Nuance Audio Plus is sold in New Zealand through authorised optical and hearing-care practices. Rose Optometry in Frankton, Hamilton stocks the full Plus range — Upturn 52 in Deep Blue included — and ships nationwide. You can order online here or book a fitting to try the frames on and hear them working in a real room.
How do Nuance Audio Plus hearing glasses work?
Two beamforming microphone arrays in the frame pick up the voice in front of you and suppress sound from the sides and behind; the processed sound is played through open-ear speakers hidden in the temples, so nothing sits in your ear canal. You choose Frontal or All-Around listening in the Nuance Audio app, set one of four amplification presets and a background-noise-reduction level, and adjust volume on the frame or in the app.
How much are Nuance Audio Plus glasses in New Zealand?
The Nuance Audio Plus Upturn 52 in Deep Blue is NZ$1,699 with standard demo lenses (your prescription is then fitted by Rose Optometry, quoted separately at your appointment) or NZ$1,859 with Transitions® Clear to Amber light-adaptive lenses factory-fitted. Those are EssilorLuxottica's New Zealand recommended retail prices; the original Nuance Audio range is NZ$1,320.
Can you wear glasses with hearing aids?
You can, but conventional behind-the-ear hearing aids compete with spectacle arms for the same space behind the ear, which is why many glasses-wearers find them uncomfortable or find the aids fall off. Nuance Audio Plus solves that by putting the hearing technology inside the spectacle temples — one thing on your ears instead of two.
Do Nuance Audio Plus glasses need an audiologist?
No prescription for the hearing side is required — they are designed for self-adjusted, mild-to-moderate hearing support. The frame does need to be fitted properly, because microphone performance depends on position, which is why we fit and adjust them in person at Rose Optometry. If you want a formal hearing assessment first, we can refer you locally in Hamilton.
Is there an app for Nuance Audio Plus?
Yes — the Nuance Audio app on iOS and Android. It lets you switch between Frontal and All-Around modes, pick one of four amplification presets, set background-noise reduction across three levels, adjust volume on a 1–5 scale and check battery. The Plus frames also add a physical power switch and volume buttons so the basics work without your phone.
Does the Deep Blue Upturn 52 come with Transitions lenses?
It is available two ways: with standard demo lenses at NZ$1,699 (we fit your prescription), or with factory-fitted Transitions® Clear to Amber light-adaptive lenses at NZ$1,859, which stay clear indoors and darken outdoors in a tint chosen to suit the deep blue frame. Choose the lens option above before adding to cart.
Can I try Nuance Audio Plus before I buy?
Yes. Book a fitting at Rose Optometry in Frankton, Hamilton — you will try the frame on, hear it working in a normal room with background noise, and leave with the app paired. If you order online first, we arrange the fitting when you collect or ship the frame with setup instructions and a phone walk-through.
See the full Nuance Audio hearing glasses range →
Supplier reference 0AW5006 09 (standard) / 15 (Transitions). Nuance Audio and Transitions are trademarks of their respective owners.