More than 40 legally blind veterans received free AI-equipped smart glasses at a distribution event Sept. 16 at the Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CABVI), located at 2045 Gilbert Ave., WCPO reported.

The giveaway was part of a national program in which Meta is donating Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses to more than 130,000 legally blind veterans across the country, in partnership with the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA). CABVI's service area covers Hamilton County, which includes Indian Hill, Madeira, Mariemont, Terrace Park and Sycamore Township, along with seven other Ohio counties and three in Kentucky.

The BVA created the training that comes with each pair of glasses. The nonprofit is distributing them along with partners including the American Council of the Blind, Homes for Our Troops, Lighthouse Guild and National Industries for the Blind, according to BVA and Meta.

Don Overton, a veteran of the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division who lost his eyesight in a bunker explosion during Desert Storm, later served as BVA's national executive director and worked with Meta's wearables team to help build features for the glasses.

"When I lost my eyesight in Desert Storm from a bunker explosion, I also lost my independence," Overton said in Meta's June announcement. "The moment I put on my Ray-Ban Meta glasses, I got my independence back."

Among those fitted at the Sept. 16 event was Mance Berry, a 98-year-old Army combat engineer who served in the Korean War. Berry told WCPO the glasses were "a good thing, good move if it's used wisely."

The glasses use Meta's artificial intelligence to read printed text aloud, describe a wearer's surroundings and make hands-free phone calls. Bone-conducting speakers sit above the ear so users can still hear traffic and other sounds around them. The glasses connect to the Meta AI app on a smartphone and charge fully in about 30 minutes inside their case.

Aaron Bley, CABVI's chief mission officer, told the Cincinnati Enquirer the glasses are not a replacement for a cane, guide dog or mobility training. He said their effectiveness depends on lighting, internet connectivity and battery life, and that AI-generated descriptions may be incomplete or incorrect.

BVA National Executive Director Lea Rowe said the technology fills a gap for veterans losing sight later in life, when learning braille can be difficult. She told WCPO that the glasses "give the visual information in an audio format." Meta announced the program in June.

Demand has outpaced supply. New requests are being placed on a waitlist. Any veteran who is legally blind, defined as 20/200 vision or worse or a field of view no more than 20 degrees wide, is eligible for one free pair while supplies last. The glasses themselves are free to BVA members, though veterans who need prescription lenses must pay for those separately.

The glasses use Meta's AI to describe a user's surroundings aloud, read text and make phone calls hands-free. They can also translate speech in real time and connect wearers with sighted volunteers through a partnership with Be My Eyes, announced in September 2024 and expanded since.

The veterans program is part of a broader accessibility push by Meta. The company awarded nearly $2 million in AI Glasses Impact Grants to 30 organizations across the U.S. that use the glasses to serve people with disabilities.

Recipients include OurLife Labs in California, which is building an assistant for people with early-stage dementia and mild cognitive impairments that it plans to integrate with Ray-Ban Meta glasses later this year. Another recipient, the United Spinal Association, based in New York, plans to outfit wheelchair users with the glasses to document accessibility barriers in parks and other public spaces and share the findings with officials.

At Meta Connect on Sept. 23, the company announced a hearing-enhancement feature for its AI glasses. Meta says the software is cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for adults 18 and older who perceive mild to moderate hearing loss and can be set up at home without a prescription or clinic visit.

Veterans can join the waitlist at bva.org/glasses.