CINCINNATI — Since Tracy Ferro got a free set of Meta smart glasses, he does not go anywhere without them.
"About a month, and I don't leave home without them. They are — they've become that essential," Ferro said.
Ferro is a retired U.S. Air Force master sergeant who is legally blind due to Stargardt disease, a genetic condition affecting the macula. He serves as national vice president of the Blinded Veterans Association.
WATCH: Cincinnati event to provide free smart glasses to visually impaired veterans
The glasses he wears are first-generation Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, and soon all roughly 130,000 members of the Blinded Veterans Association will be able to get a pair free of charge through a partnership between the BVA and Meta.
Lea Rowe, national executive director of the Blinded Veterans Association, said the glasses are not a cure — but they restore something veterans have been missing.
"Just to be able to have those pieces of independence back — that you're able to allow that technology to provide you some visual context for the world around you when you're not having to rely on somebody else to do that for you," Rowe said.
Rowe and her team will be in Cincinnati on Wednesday, Sept. 16, for a free giveaway and training event at CABVI, the Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, located at 2045 Gilbert Ave.
"We really try to say it's a tool in your tool belt, depending on what you need it to be able to do," Rowe said.
The glasses connect to the Meta AI app on a smartphone and use bone-conducting speakers that sit above the ear, allowing users to hear audio while still remaining aware of their surroundings — an important safety feature for people navigating with a white cane.
The glasses can also read labels at the grocery store, identify items at a hardware store, take photos and video and make hands-free phone calls.
For Ferro, one of the most meaningful changes has been something as simple as reading a restaurant menu.
"So now I can stand back, read the menu to me, and she'll do it. In a restaurant, pull open a menu. What's the appetizers? Write down a list of appetizers. So instead of relying on my wife or somebody I'm with or the waiter or something — it's given me a degree of independence that's just unbelievable," Ferro said.
Ferro is also a woodworker. He said the glasses have allowed him to read gauge blocks — precision measuring tools with small printed markings — something his visual impairment service team coordinator had previously told him was not possible with any available magnification tool.
"I'm on them right now, so I'm talking to you right now. So this, when I'm working on a computer, and I'm working with somebody, it's that — it just saves so much because the computer's not blathering away and distracting and everything else to everybody else," Ferro said.
The glasses are free to BVA members, though veterans who need prescription lenses will need to pay for those separately through a community partner. A smartphone is required, as the glasses must connect to the Meta AI app. The glasses case doubles as a charger, providing a full charge in about 30 minutes.
Rowe said the Sept. 16 event at CABVI is not simply a handout.
"We want to engage because the thing is, is the veterans need to connect with their community. They need to connect with what's available right there, and that's a huge opportunity for these nonprofits to not only have a way to bring the people in, but to be able to provide a service and get them connected," Rowe said.
At the event, BVA staff will set up the Meta AI app on each veteran's phone, walk them through the glasses' features and provide hands-on training.
Other nonprofits that serve blinded or low-vision veterans and want to host their own distribution event can visit BVA.org/glasses.
Organizations that are 501(c)(3) nonprofits can sign up to distribute glasses through the TechSoup feature on that page.
Veterans who are blind or have low vision and want to connect with the BVA can visit BlindedVeterans.org. Those unsure whether they qualify should contact their VA visual impairment service team coordinator to find out if they are eligible for blind rehabilitation services.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
