Hearing aids, like canes or orthopedic shoes, are something you don’t think about a lot when you’re young. But maybe you should.

You probably either know someone who needs hearing aids, or you’ll need them some day yourself. About 30 million people in the United States, aged 12 and older, have hearing loss in both ears, and about two-thirds of people end up with hearing loss, which can range from mild to severe, by their 70s.

But talking to your parents or grandparents about getting hearing aids can be tough — I’ve done it. They might not like the idea of sticking things in their ear canals or confronting the difficult realities of aging and health. They surely shy away from the price tag of hearing aids, which can cost thousands of dollars and are not covered by insurance or Medicare.

But plugging tiny and exorbitantly expensive speakers into your ears isn’t the only way. Your mom might already own hearing aids without even knowing it.

Hearing aids have never been more accessible — or futuristic. In April, a company called Nuance started selling glasses that double as hearing aids thanks to microphones and beam-forming speakers built into the frame. Although at $1,200, they’re not cheap, they cost far less than a pair of prescription hearing aids, which tend to range from $2,000 to $7,000.

The Nuance glasses joined an increasingly crowded market of FDA-regulated over-the-counter hearing aids that includes everything........

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