The Vision Council (TVC) has published “Focused inSights 2025: Smart Eyewear,” a research report examining consumer awareness, perceptions, and purchasing considerations in the smart eyewear market.

Based on responses from more than 4,000 U.S. adults, the report examines awareness and sentiment, highlights buying motivators and barriers, and tracks brand familiarity compared to the organization’s 2023 smart eyewear study. The findings point to a market that is growing in visibility but still navigating adoption hurdles.

The following are key findings from the report:

• Consumer awareness of smart eyewear has risen sharply, with 58% saying they know exactly what it is or have a general sense of it, up from 2023.

• Fity-six percent of respondents report a favorable impression of smart eyewear when features such as wireless connectivity, artificial intelligence, translation, and audio are explained.

• Purchase adoption stands at 14%, while 40% of consumers say they would consider buying smart eyewear in the next 12 months.

• Curiosity (41%), perceived usefulness (39%), and “fun to use” (37%) are leading purchase drivers, while lack of a clear need (50%) and cost (41%) remain the strongest barriers.

• Brand familiarity has grown across the board, with Amazon Echo Frames and Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses showing the largest increases.

• YouTube leads as an information source, with 49% of consumers encountering smart eyewear content there, followed by other social platforms.

“As smart eyewear moves from an emerging to maturing market, tracking consumer sentiment is crucial,” says TVC vice president of research and insights Alysse Henkel. “Our findings point to tangible opportunities for manufacturers and eyecare providers to align design, education, and dispensing with what consumers say matters most.”

The reports are available here as a complimentary download for members and for nonmembers to purchase.