Available to order — fitted by the optometrist team at Rose Optometry, Hamilton, and shipped NZ-wide.
Glasses with hearing aids built in, second generation. Nuance Audio Plus arrived in New Zealand in September 2026 with three new frame shapes, five colours, roughly ten hours of battery and beamforming microphones that make a real difference in a noisy room.
Panthos 48 in Black
The Panthos 48 is the compact option — the smallest eye size in the Plus line at 48mm and the only one whose fit we can fine-tune at the nose. A 40.4mm lens height means it still carries a progressive despite the small eye.
Black is the safe first choice and the colour we stock first for that reason.
Fit and sizing — Panthos 48
- Lens 48mm · bridge 22mm · temple 145mm · lens height 40.4mm · hinge-to-hinge 122.7mm
- Frame size XS (regular fit), adjustable gooseneck nosepads; round panto shape, unisex
- Best on narrow faces and low or flat nose bridges, and for anyone whose glasses usually slide. If the 48mm eye looks small on you, the Square 53 is the step up.
Lens options for the Black Panthos 48
- 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 Grey — NZ$1,859. Factory-fitted light-adaptive lenses: clear indoors, darkening outdoors in a tint chosen to suit the black frame.
What Nuance Audio Plus does
- Hearing support for mild-to-moderate difficulty, tuned in the app: four presets, Frontal or All-Around pickup
- Beamforming mics — the upgrade over the original — for restaurants, cafés and meetings
- Hands-free calls via Bluetooth
- On-frame power switch and volume buttons; no need to reach for your phone
- Approximately 10-hour battery
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
- Authorised EssilorLuxottica stockist in Hamilton, NZ
- In-person fitting so the microphone array sits where it should
- Your prescription fitted by our optometrists, not a lab you never meet
- Nationwide courier, optometrist advice with every order
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 Panthos 48 Black — 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 — Panthos 48 in Black 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 Panthos 48 in Black 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 Grey light-adaptive lenses factory-fitted. Those are EssilorLuxottica's New Zealand recommended retail prices; the original Nuance Audio range is NZ$1,320.
Can I get my prescription put in Nuance Audio Plus glasses?
Yes. The Panthos 48 arrives with demo lenses and our optometrists fit your prescription — single vision, progressive, occupational or blue-light — in Hamilton. Most everyday prescriptions are within range; we confirm yours at the fitting. You can also choose the factory Transitions® Clear to Grey option, which is a light-adaptive lens fitted to this frame by EssilorLuxottica.
Who makes Nuance Audio?
Nuance Audio is made by EssilorLuxottica, the French-Italian group behind Essilor and Transitions lenses and the Ray-Ban, Oakley and Oliver Peoples frame brands. Rose Optometry is an EssilorLuxottica stockist in Hamilton, New Zealand.
Which Nuance Audio Plus frame is best for my face?
Square 53 (53-19-145) suits average-to-broad faces and gives the most lens depth for progressives. Upturn 52 (52-18-140) is a soft cat-eye for narrow-to-average faces and smaller heads. Panthos 48 (48-22-145) is a round panto with adjustable nosepads for narrow faces and low bridges. This page is the Panthos 48 in Black; the other shapes are in the Nuance Audio collection.
How long does the battery last on Nuance Audio Plus?
EssilorLuxottica quotes approximately 10 hours under average conditions — enough for a working day or a long dinner out. Charging is via the supplied charger; we will show you how to top up at your fitting.
Can I take phone calls on Nuance Audio Plus?
Yes. Plus connects to your phone over Bluetooth and you can answer and manage calls on the frame itself, with the beamforming microphones picking up your voice. The original Nuance Audio did not offer hands-free calling.
See the full Nuance Audio hearing glasses range →
Supplier reference 0AW5007 06 (standard) / 04 (Transitions). Nuance Audio and Transitions are trademarks of their respective owners.