Meta's Ray-Bans Became My Post-Surgery Favorite Recovery Gadget

I was nervous about checking into the hospital for my scheduled abdominal surgery a few weeks ago. The check-in guide told me to keep the things I brought with me to a minimum. Tech is a comfort blanket for me: I wanted all my little things with me, even though I knew I wouldn't be able to use them or keep them on me. In a tiny go bag I brought with me to the hospital was 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, swapping 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 onboard speakers and microphones that can basically replace your headphones. They also have a camera that can snap photos and capture short video clips. There's also an AI assistant that can try to answer requests or analyze photos you take.

What started as a little experiment became a realization that these Ray-Bans are a truly helpful comfort device for me, even with a smartwatch and a phone. In the weeks since my surgery, I've turned to wearing Meta's glasses more and more. I sometimes swapped them out for my regular glasses when I went on vacations where I wanted to take photos and POV videos or at big events like tech conferences. Now they're suddenly something I've come to expect will be there for me, even when I don't remember they're on my face.

At the hospital, it wasn't the camera features that were my biggest helper… and it wasn't the onboard AI, either. It was just the way they were reliable microphone-equipped audio glasses I didn't have to worry about losing. It's made me think a lot about what the future of assistive tech really can be.

I was told to put my phone away while changing into a hospital gown and to take off things like smartwatches and headphones. They allowed me to keep my glasses on, though. The Ray-Bans were all I had as I waited on a bed for an hour or two to be rolled into the operating room. 

I listened to music in the glasses. The ambient feel of the audio from the Ray-Bans, which felt like part of the world around me, meant I could still hear nurses if needed. I could make a phone call to my wife to say hi. The music calmed me down and made me feel comforted. The only other option to distract me in the room was a small TV hanging on the wall.

I told a nurse about the glasses, a bit afraid she'd think I was breaking the pre-op rules. She loved them, though; she'd never seen anything like them.

The glasses stayed on until I went into surgery because, like any pair of glasses, they were taken off right before. Of course, by that point, my phone wasn't with me, and they couldn't play music. But when I was recovering from anesthesia, they were back on my face, and I didn't have to worry about where they were. Having them with me meant that, in the hours after, I could make calls, listen to music some more and even play a meditation via a hook-in with Calm.

For however useful they are, Meta's Ray-Bans don't have ideal battery life. They last only about 4 hours for me on a charge, and then they need to be put in their charging glasses case for about an hour to charge back up. In the hospital, it just meant I'd take them off for a bit and take a nap. In the real world, it means doing without smart features for a while unless I swap out the glasses for another pair while they charge. I'd love some sort of charging cable option so I could wear the glasses and charge them at the same time, but that's not possible yet.

The Ray-Bans totally replaced my AirPods in the hospital, though, and at home the first week when I was mostly in bed, taking pain meds. I made sure the charging case, which houses a big enough battery for a good few days of recharges, was nearby. I got superstitious about keeping the glasses on me. Even with my phone and an Apple Watch back on my wrist, the ability to keep myself in an audio bubble without needing to manage tiny wireless buds was a huge help.

I've already realized that smart glasses are becoming more of a reality for myself and others than they've ever been before. Xreal's display glasses and Meta's Ray-Bans came with me on a trip in June, and I realized they're the future beyond bulkier headsets.

The Apple Vision Pro headset ended up being a big help during recovery too. It was my head-worn computer that could work at any angle without me holding a tablet, phone or laptop up (and it was especially good for watching TV and movies). However, Meta's Ray-Bans and their gentle, invisible presence on my face has become something I've started welcoming and even taking for granted. I use them along with the 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 on you, and nothing has been on me quite as much lately as Meta's Ray-Bans. They're not good enough yet to be my perpetual glasses, but if the battery life gets improved, they really will be. And, maybe, for anyone else who needs something easy to access, they will be too.