Now, amid a fierce privacy debate, Fletcher told 7NEWS.com.au the possibility of losing access to the technology<\/a> that has given him back some control and independence would feel like having his eyesight taken away all over again.<\/p>\n The AI smart glasses that allow him to navigate life are now at the centre of a controversy, with bans already enforced in some places and growing calls for tighter restrictions.<\/p>\n \u2018Everything changes\u2019<\/p>\n Before losing his vision, Fletcher held a senior position at a multinational corporation, had lived in seven countries and travelled extensively. <\/p>\n When a medical condition claimed all of his central vision and most of his peripheral vision, his life changed drastically. <\/p>\n \u201cThere is not one thing that you will do in a day that can possibly be the same as when you had vision,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s everyday things that, as a sighted person, I took for granted. A simple glimpse will tell you a thousand things about what\u2019s going on around you.
<\/p>\n \u201cYou take all that away and it\u2019s really just a whole loss of information.\u201d<\/p>\n Fletcher discovered Meta\u2019s AI-powered glasses about three and a half years ago through his connections with an international network of people with low vision.<\/p>\n He heard about a totally blind man who had reportedly flown alone from London\u2019s Heathrow Airport to New York\u2019s JFK, using the glasses and other technology to locate his luggage and reach the taxi stand. <\/p>\n An experienced traveller himself, Fletcher immediately asked a friend in the United States to order him a pair before they became available in Australia. <\/p>\n The glasses use a camera and voice-controlled artificial intelligence to interpret visual information, allowing Fletcher to ask questions about what is in front of him and hear a response. <\/p>\n \u201cEven though it certainly doesn\u2019t fill the void, it gives you access to information that previously you would have needed to rely on another human being for,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if it gives me 15 per cent or 20 per cent of the information that was void before, it\u2019s empowering to actually then be able to make a decision on my own without having to go and ask another person to assist me.<\/p>\n \u201cIn life, there is absolutely nothing more empowering than to own your decision, whether you make the wrong one or the right one but you\u2019ve got enough information to own it.\u201d<\/p>\n Independence in everyday life<\/p>\n Fletcher remains highly active, walking about 20,000 steps a day with his Seeing Eye Dog, Hamish, and regularly travelling around Melbourne for public speaking engagements and blind tennis. <\/p>\n The glasses fill the gaps between other forms of assistance \u2014 as smart and helpful as he is, Hamish cannot read signs. <\/p>\n \u201cHe was missing in training that day,\u201d Fletcher says with a laugh.<\/p>\n For example, at Flinders Street Station Hamish can ask the glasses to read departure monitors and tell him which train to board. <\/p>\n Before boarding, the glasses can help ensure he is on the correct platform. During the journey, they can identify a station if an onboard announcement is not made.<\/p>\n Once he disembarks the train, they can read street signs and help confirm he is heading in the right direction.<\/p>\n At the supermarket, he can ask the glasses to locate a product and describe where it is on the shelf. <\/p>\n The technology can also identify banknotes, giving users another way to determine how much cash they are carrying or whether they have received the correct change. <\/p>\n Fletcher said these seemingly small pieces of information allowed people to make choices for themselves instead of relying on someone else to decide what details were worth sharing.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that it doesn\u2019t sound like very much but it\u2019s actually quite profound,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cOther people when you ask them for help, in all their best intentions, decide what information they give you is important.<\/p>\n \u201cThese things empower us to be given everything, and then it\u2019s up to us to make that decision as to what\u2019s important to us.\u201c<\/p>\n Sydney architectural design consultant Seyed Farbod Motahari has also found practical benefits in the technology.
<\/p>\n The 40-year-old was born with low vision caused by albinism and uses the glasses to read signs, understand his surroundings and access information while shopping.
<\/p>\n Motahari said they could identify different products and read information printed on bottles or cans, reducing the need to ask someone else for guidance.
<\/p>\n He described the technology as a \u201cgame changer\u201d for people with vision impairment, although he acknowledged it remained imperfect.
<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just the beginning of it,\u201d he said.
<\/p>\n Passion for travel restored<\/p>\n Before losing his vision, Fletcher had visited between 70 and 80 countries and had taken more than 750 flights. <\/p>\n But travelling without sight was an entirely different experience and, for about a decade, he lost the passion that had taken him around the world. <\/p>\n The glasses helped him find that again. <\/p>\n During a trip to Spain last year, the smart glasses translated Spanish into English and allowed him to independently explore tourist attractions. <\/p>\n At Madrid\u2019s Prado Museum, he could ask the glasses to describe an artwork and then seek more information about its artist, subject and style. <\/p>\n It was a stark change from having another person provide only a brief description of what was in front of him.<\/p>\n \u201c(They\u2019d say) \u2018Oh, it\u2019s a lady in a chair.\u2019 Well, that\u2019s helpful,\u201d Fletcher said, recalling the limited information he might otherwise receive.<\/p>\n \u201cJust because I\u2019m blind doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m stupid.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been to most major art galleries in the world. I\u2019d like to know a little bit more about this painting.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of a sudden I realised that I can just do this at my pace. I can ask for as much information as I want.\u201d<\/p>\n The glasses also translated conversations from Spanish into English through his earpiece, helping him communicate.<\/p>\n His wife would even stand beside him to listen to the translations. <\/p>\n Calls grow for nationwide restrictions<\/p>\n But the accessibility benefits are at times being overlooked amid growing scrutiny of smart glasses and their ability to record video and audio without being immediately obvious to people nearby. <\/p>\n Some councils and businesses<\/a> have introduced restrictions at certain facilities such as pools, while the Greens have called for a 12-month ban on importing the glasses as stronger laws and regulations are developed.<\/p>\n The Albanese government has rejected calls for an immediate nationwide ban<\/a> but is consulting Australians about the privacy risks posed by AI and wearable technology before considering further action.<\/p>\n Attorney-General Michelle Rowland told Sunrise on Tuesday the government was working to balance those concerns against the very real benefits for people with disabilities. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had Vision Australia and other disability advocacy groups saying that this type of technology has been a game-changer for them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to make sure we don\u2019t unfairly discriminate against people who are using this technology to better participate in society.\u201d<\/p>\n Fletcher said he briefly feared the glasses could be taken away while listening to the debate, but he says he refuses to \u201clet it happen\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a fairly determined individual,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be like going up to you and saying, \u2018Can I take your eyesight off you?\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you\u2019d say, \u2018Absolutely not\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n His objection is not to safeguards around inappropriate recording, but to treating every person wearing the glasses as though they are using them to covertly film others. <\/p>\n Fletcher said the technology had been available in Australia for several years without attracting the same level of alarm and questioned why the backlash was intensifying so much as cheaper models enter the market.<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s only now that they\u2019ve come into a different price point that all of a sudden everyone who wears them becomes a pervert,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He argued the response risked stigmatising people with low vision and unfairly associating access to cheaper technology with predatory behaviour. <\/p>\n Fletcher also said the Meta glasses displayed a visible light when taking an image or recording a video, allowing people nearby to see when the camera was operating. <\/p>\n He said he had no objection to someone approaching him or asking how the device was being used if they felt uncomfortable. <\/p>\n \u201cInstilling a fear into people that they think someone\u2019s being recorded against their wishes is so dangerous,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n He warned that portraying every wearer as a potential threat could encourage confrontations with people who were simply using the glasses as an accessibility tool. <\/p>\n For Fletcher, a blanket ban would punish people with low vision for the potential misconduct of others and remove access to information most sighted people receive automatically.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not asking for a lot,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m only asking for access to information that a genetic condition took away from me, and I don\u2019t think that\u2019s really getting across to the public.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Government rejects calls to ban AI smart glasses <\/p>\n 2 min read<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ff28f92bac178dca44ab2f21b524facd47b517a5.jpg\")
The glasses are particularly helpful at the supermarket. Credit: AAP<\/p>\n![\"Disability](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/52d3ce56d4efc07911ce06c8a01aed048356eff2.jpg\")
Disability advocates say smart glasses are helping sight-impaired people participate in daily life. Credit: AAP\u2018I\u2019m not asking for a lot\u2019<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/10b623c24856494859626c3403353215396b40e8.jpg\")
The backlash has intensified as cheaper models enter the market.\u00a0 Credit: AAP<\/p>\n