Meta’s AI-enabled glasses are gaining momentum at National Vision, the parent company of America’s Best and Eyeglass World. According to the company’s chief executive, Alex Wilkes, Ray-Ban Meta frames made by EssilorLuxottica are now among the fastest-selling frames in its stores.
National Vision operates about 1,270 locations across 40 states, most of them under the America’s Best banner. The company serves nearly 7 million optometry patients a year and employs 2,000 optometrists. It began testing Ray-Ban Meta glasses last year and then expanded the offering to more than 100 stores. Customers can use insurance benefits and order prescription lenses with the frames.
Buyers are not just tech enthusiasts
Wilkes said the customers purchasing the glasses are not necessarily heavy AI users. In one example, a shopper bought a pair to film remote-controlled cars from the sidelines. He also said some buyers want the glasses to translate restaurant menus or identify flowers, while others are drawn to the novelty of recording moments quickly as they happen.
The retailer is also seeing a premium-lens effect. Wilkes said buyers of the smart glasses often choose higher-end lens options, including Transitions lenses, and tend to make full use of their insurance benefits. Outside optical retail, the category is growing quickly: Circana said smart-glasses revenue rose 233% to $436 million in the 12 months through May. EssilorLuxottica has said it sold more than 7 million AI glasses in 2025, and other companies including Samsung and Snap have recently introduced their own models.
Source: modernretail.co
