Meta’s Ray-Bans became my favorite post-surgery recovery gadget

I was nervous about going into the hospital for my scheduled abdominal surgery a few weeks ago. The check-in guide told me to keep the items I brought to a minimum. Technology is a comfort blanket for me: I wanted to have all my little things with me, even though I knew I wouldn’t be able to use them or keep them with me. In a small bag I brought to the hospital were my phone, a spare battery and charger, AirPods, and a Kindle (which I never used). At the last minute, I brought my prescription Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses with me, and exchanged them for my non-smart glasses.

I’m so glad I did.

The Meta Ray-Bans are glasses that connect to a phone via Bluetooth. They have built-in speakers and microphones that can essentially replace your headphones. They also have a camera that can take photos and record short video clips. There is also an AI assistant that can attempt to answer requests or analyze photos you take.

What started as a small experiment turned into the realization that these Ray-Bans are a really useful comfort aid for me, even with a smartwatch and a phone. In the weeks following my surgery, I’ve found myself wearing the Meta glasses more and more often, sometimes swapping them out for my regular glasses when I’m going on vacation to take photos and POV videos, or at big events like tech conferences. Now, I’ve suddenly come to expect them to be there for me, even when I don’t remember they’re on my face.

In the hospital, it wasn’t the camera features that were my biggest help… or the built-in AI. It was just the way they were reliable audio glasses with microphones that I didn’t have to lose. It got me thinking a lot about what the future of assistive technology can really be.

I was told to put my phone away while I put on a hospital gown and to remove things like smart watches and headphones. They did let me keep my glasses on. The Ray-Bans were all I had as I waited on a bed for an hour or two to be wheeled into the operating room.

I listened to music through the glasses. The ambient sound of the Ray-Bans, which felt like part of the world around me, meant that I could still hear nurses if I needed to. I could call my wife to say hello. The music calmed me down and made me feel comforted. The only other distraction in the room was a small TV mounted on the wall.

I told a nurse about the glasses, a little worried she would think I was breaking pre-op rules. She thought they were great, she had never seen anything like them.

The glasses stayed on until I had surgery, because like all glasses, they were taken off just before. Of course, I didn’t have my phone with me anymore and I couldn’t play music on them. But when I woke up from the anesthesia, they were back on my face and I didn’t have to worry about where they were. Having them with me allowed me to make phone calls in the hours afterward, listen to some music, and even play a meditation via a hook-in with Calm.

As useful as they are, the Meta Ray-Bans don’t have ideal battery life. I only get about 4 hours of use out of them on a charge, and then they have to be left in their charging case for about an hour to charge. In the hospital, that meant just taking them off and taking a nap. In the real world, that means going without any smart features for a while unless I swap them out for a different pair while they’re charging. I’d love to have some sort of charging cable so I could wear them and charge them at the same time, but that’s not possible yet.

The Ray-Bans completely replaced my AirPods in the hospital, and also at home for the first week when I was mostly bedridden and taking painkillers. I made sure to keep the charging case, which holds a battery big enough to last a few days of charging, nearby. I was becoming superstitious about wearing the glasses. Even with my phone and Apple Watch back on my wrist, it was a huge help in keeping myself in an audio bubble without having to manage tiny wireless earbuds.

I have now come to realize that smart glasses are becoming more of a reality for me and others than ever before. Xreal’s display glasses and Meta’s Ray-Bans came with me on a trip in June, and I realized they are the future of larger headsets.

The Apple Vision Pro The headset also proved to be a huge help during my recovery. It was my main computer, able to work at any angle without having to hold up a tablet, phone, or laptop (and was especially good for watching TV and movies). Meta’s Ray-Bans, however, and their soft, invisible presence on my face have become something I’ve come to welcome and even take for granted. I pair them with my Apple Watch, using the watch to check messages and music tracks and letting the glasses be my speakers. The best tech gadget is the one you have with you, and nothing has been worn by me as much as Meta’s Ray-Bans lately. They’re not good enough to be my forever glasses yet, but as battery life improves, they really will be. And maybe, for anyone who needs something easily accessible, they will be.