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[Captain Smoker]

So, my parents hate the fact that I pre-ordered the Oculus.

Probably because they fear health issues or that "I start living in the virtual world" (won't happen ).

Anyway, I know that most stuff that got people sick with DK1 and DK2 is due to the technology (low-persistence, etc.) and I had no problems with the DK2.


But like many people I'm nearsighted and wear glasses (myopia) and I ask myself how harmful the Oculus or similar devices are going to be,
because in the end, you look at a screen only a few inches away from your eyes and I don't like the fact that this could increase my myopia faster than it naturally would.

Did Palmer Luckey mention anything in the Reddit AMA? Couldn't find it.

I really look forward to it, but it's not bad to think about this stuff to boot.

 

[Muskieratboi]

That's what the lenses are for. your eyes are focusd at about 1.3m to infinity on the DK1, and the CV1 has full IPD adjustment tools in software, and multiple lenses.

 

[bj00rn_]

It doesn't quite work like that. Like already mentioned, it's focused to infinity and therefore it feels completely natural and there's nothing harmful about it outside fringe cases. As far as everyone know right now your parents should in theory not have to worry.

 

[Serviam]

You should not worry mate. There is even a game made as a treatment for it. I helped kickstart it 2014. I have one of my eyes fucked up so hoping it might help (lazy eye).
http://www.diplopiagame.com

 

[krrrt]

Without the lenses, even someone with perfect eyesight wouldn't be able to focus correctly. As said before, the headsets are designed with that in mind and will most likely not damage your vision. (source: my father is an opthalmologist)

 

[Fluxdyne]

It seems that myopia may be related to the lack of sun exposure, and not close-up activities such as reading or playing games.
See: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/06/01/myopia.causes/index.html

 

[Consumer]

Have Myopia as well; I hope there'll be no ill-effects from VR. (I'm sure they've designed it with this in mind, though)

 

[Finaika]

It seems that myopia may be related to the lack of sun exposure, and not close-up activities such as reading or playing games.
See: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/06/01/myopia.causes/index.html

Wouldn't VR contribute to lack of sun exposure?

 

[Fluxdyne]

Wouldn't VR contribute to lack of sun exposure?

Of course, but about the same as gaming without VR.

 

[Langdon Alger]

I worry about this as well. A friend of mine has a 55" TV that his couch is about 20 feet away from, and I get a headache every time I watch TV at his place. How bad of a headache am I going to get when the screen is inches from my eyes?

 

[eot]

That's what the lenses are for. your eyes are focusd at about 1.3m to infinity on the DK1, and the CV1 has full IPD adjustment tools in software, and multiple lenses.

Great, so then poor eyesight will make things look worse in the rift?

 

[Ionic]

Great, so then poor eyesight will make things look worse in the rift?

I'm nearsighted. Yes, you cannot see things clearly without glasses or Rift lenses similar to your prescription. Luckily my glasses fit.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

I worry about this as well. A friend of mine has a 55" TV that his couch is about 20 feet away from, and I get a headache every time I watch TV at his place. How bad of a headache am I going to get when the screen is inches from my eyes?

As mentioned above, it comes down to the focal point of the lenses, and not the raw distance to the screen (if it purely came down to distance the product would not be viable -- just hold your screen 3" from your eyes and prepare for the insanely quick headache as your eyes attempt to focus). VR lenses are focused at infinity, and thus your eye does not need to do the work to contract and focus, which is potentially what happens when you get the headache watching that TV. Your eyes probably end up contracting to focus since you're fairly far away

The best sort of similarity I can draw for you is to think of Binoculars, Microscopes or a Telescope which generally will have their lenses focused at infinity as well since that is what the relaxed eye focuses at. In those cases you're looking through lenses to look at a display surface which is very close to your eye, but in those cases it's light from the real world getting reflected/refracted/whatever in the mechanism to the display surface. The Rift is just using a computer to render onto the display surface which provides the light but your eyes are still focused at infinity. If you can use any of the above without issue, you should be fine with the Rift.

*Edit*

Great, so then poor eyesight will make things look worse in the rift?

Do you mean poor eyesight without the use of contacts/glasses? Well, of course. Not sure why you would expect otherwise. You'll have the same sort of vision problems you have in the real world if it's not corrected.

If you have contacts, use them in the Rift. If you have glasses, you should use them in the Rift. CV1 should be a lot better in terms of fitting glasses as well.

 

[eot]

The best sort of similarity I can draw for you is to think of Binoculars, Microscopes or a Telescope which generally will have their lenses focused at infinity as well since that is what the relaxed eye focuses at. In those cases you're looking through lenses to look at a display surface which is very close to your eye, but in those cases it's light from the real world getting reflected/refracted/whatever in the mechanism to the display surface. The Rift is just using a computer to render onto the display surface which provides the light but your eyes are still focused at infinity. If you can use any of the above without issue, you should be fine with the Rift.

*Edit*

Do you mean poor eyesight without the use of contacts/glasses? Well, of course. Not sure why you would expect otherwise. You'll have the same sort of vision problems you have in the real world if it's not corrected.

If you have contacts, use them in the Rift. If you have glasses, you should use them in the Rift. CV1 should be a lot better in terms of fitting glasses as well.

Binoculars work fine without glasses / contacts actually.
But anyway, even if you correct your eyesight that doesn't necessarily mean you have perfect eyesight (for a lot of reasons), so playing a game on a TV 10 ft away is fine but looking at something at "infinity" highlights any residual vision errors. With these models I suspect most people will be limited by screen resolution and not their eyesight, but when we get 8K displays things might be different.

 

[TUSR]

woah what

near sighted people will have issues with VR?

I always assumed since the panels were so close to yours eyes that it wouldn't be an issue.

 

[baphomet]

woah what

near sighted people will have issues with VR?

I always assumed since the panels were so close to yours eyes that it wouldn't be an issue.

Wait, people actually think their vision problems will dissapears in VR?

 

[DieH@rd]

I worry about this as well. A friend of mine has a 55" TV that his couch is about 20 feet away from, and I get a headache every time I watch TV at his place. How bad of a headache am I going to get when the screen is inches from my eyes?

You need to stop comparing situations like that. Lenses in VR are re-focusing your eyes so you cannot perceive that display is near your face.

woah what

near sighted people will have issues with VR?

I always assumed since the panels were so close to yours eyes that it wouldn't be an issue.

VR is not magic. If you have medical problems in real life, you will also have them in VR.

With that said, because of lenses that are focusing eyes to near-infinity, VR is well suited for people who have good far sight vision. If you wear glasses for better near sight viewing, you will probably not need to wear glasses in VR. If you cannot see far objects clearly, you will need to wear glasses [or switch lenses on VR device which was a feature on DK1/DK2].

 

[kyser73]

woah what

near sighted people will have issues with VR?

I always assumed since the panels were so close to yours eyes that it wouldn't be an issue.

Wear your glasses or contacts. I was able to use a DK2 with my specs on without any issues, and CV1, PSVR have been designed to accomodate most types of glasses (I would imagine if you've got some crazy oversize fashion frames you'd run into issues) and I assume Vive is the same.

 

[Cheeseman Battitude]

woah what

near sighted people will have issues with VR?

I always assumed since the panels were so close to yours eyes that it wouldn't be an issue.

If you can't see clearly up to 1.3m IRL then you probably won't be able to in VR. But I thought this is what the adjustable lenses were for.

I really need to try this stuff out to understand it.

 

[Attem]

If you can't see clearly up to 1.3m IRL then you probably won't be able to in VR. But I thought this is what the adjustable lenses were for.

I really need to try this stuff out to understand it.

So if my vision only starts to deteriorate at around 1.5 - 2 meters away, will I still need to wear contact lenses/glasses to have good vision in a VR headset even though the screen is a few cm away ?

 

[DieH@rd]

If you can't see clearly up to 1.3m IRL then you probably won't be able to in VR. But I thought this is what the adjustable lenses were for.

I really need to try this stuff out to understand it.

It's the opposite.

Users who have bad near vision and good far vision can use VR fine. Having a good far sight vision is needed for VR.

 

[Ghost]

I'm near sighted and I can see long distances in VR perfectly, it was actually one of the things that most amazed me about the technology because after a couple of minutes you mostly forget the headset is there and you're seeing perfectly (albeit in a shitty resolution) without any glasses.

 

[Zaptruder]

I think in the long run, we'll probably find that VR is better for vision than how we currently operate - fixating on screens and books for many hours of the day in doors.

Right now, it's a bit of a wash... while focal distance is longer, there's less opportunity for your eyes to shift than just looking at a screen (i.e. you can easily turn your head and look at something else).

But light field displays and virtual retinal displays are a thing - and once VR moves onto those display paradigms, you'll get the accommodation cues back, and it'll simply be superior to the existing book/flat display paradigm.

 

[petran79]

Wear your glasses or contacts. I was able to use a DK2 with my specs on without any issues, and CV1, PSVR have been designed to accomodate most types of glasses (I would imagine if you've got some crazy oversize fashion frames you'd run into issues) and I assume Vive is the same.

fortunately there is the zoom option too!

 

[magnetic]

As mentioned above, it comes down to the focal point of the lenses, and not the raw distance to the screen (if it purely came down to distance the product would not be viable -- just hold your screen 3" from your eyes and prepare for the insanely quick headache as your eyes attempt to focus). VR lenses are focused at infinity, and thus your eye does not need to do the work to contract and focus, which is potentially what happens when you get the headache watching that TV. Your eyes probably end up contracting to focus since you're fairly far away

The best sort of similarity I can draw for you is to think of Binoculars, Microscopes or a Telescope which generally will have their lenses focused at infinity as well since that is what the relaxed eye focuses at. In those cases you're looking through lenses to look at a display surface which is very close to your eye, but in those cases it's light from the real world getting reflected/refracted/whatever in the mechanism to the display surface. The Rift is just using a computer to render onto the display surface which provides the light but your eyes are still focused at infinity. If you can use any of the above without issue, you should be fine with the Rift.

*Edit*

Do you mean poor eyesight without the use of contacts/glasses? Well, of course. Not sure why you would expect otherwise. You'll have the same sort of vision problems you have in the real world if it's not corrected.

If you have contacts, use them in the Rift. If you have glasses, you should use them in the Rift. CV1 should be a lot better in terms of fitting glasses as well.

Great explanation, never really thought about how this all works in VR. I automatically assumed it's going to be a strain on your eyes (screens very close to them) and never knew there's a way to get the eyes to refocus to look into the distance.

The 3DS - which I assume works very differently and without any lenses - gave me a pretty negative impression of 3D,I always got a headache when I left it on too long. That the VR tech works in a much more ergonomic way makes me a lot more excited for it!

 

[Possumowner]

I've never even thought about visual impairment, as I'm blind as a bat,down to meds I have to take.This thread has literally opened my eyes on the matter.

 

[SolidusDave]

Wait, regarding nearsightedness. I thought you can adjust the lenses in all the VR headsets? Doesn't that mean you can focus for each eye to see the image clearly without the need of your glasses?

 

[PodcastFips]

Lenses are used in all of the 3 VR devices, right? (Oculus, PS VR, Vive)

 

[Captain Smoker]

So if my vision only starts to deteriorate at around 1.5 - 2 meters away, will I still need to wear contact lenses/glasses to have good vision in a VR headset even though the screen is a few cm away ?

Yes. I tested it with the DK2.

But that's why the Rift has different lenses for people with myopia.

I have a diopter of -3,5, therefore I had to wear the B lenses to see clear, but it worked pretty well.

 

[Slavik81]

I'm pretty sure all those "it's bad for your eyes to _______" are just old wives tales. Well, except looking directly at extremely bright lights, like the sun or laser pointers.

http://www.m.webmd.com/eye-health/fact-fiction-myths-about-eyes

 

[Captain Smoker]

It doesn't quite work like that. Like already mentioned, it's focused to infinity and therefore it feels completely natural and there's nothing harmful about it outside fringe cases. As far as everyone know right now your parents should in theory not have to worry.

That's what the lenses are for. your eyes are focusd at about 1.3m to infinity on the DK1, and the CV1 has full IPD adjustment tools in software, and multiple lenses.

I found an venturebeat article on this:

(...)

Focusing on a virtual world

In order to understand some of the potential problems with VR, it’s important to appreciate the biological mechanisms at work when you view a stereoscopic image.

Looking at any stereoscopic display is counterintuitive. That’s because there are two mechanisms at work when you look at something in the real world, and these need to follow different rules for VR.

In the real world, our eyes work to both focus and converge on a point in space when we look toward it — it’s a natural reflex called the accommodation-convergence reflex.

“The distance you need to converge your eyes to and the distance you need to focus your eyes to are the same distance,” explained Marty Banks, professor of optometry, vision science, psychology, and neuroscience at UC Berkeley in a phone call. “The brain has coupled these two response together — that’s why it’s called vergence-accommodation coupling. It makes total sense in the world we live in.”

With VR, though, our eyes always focus on a fixed point while trying to converge or diverge toward objects that can appear either nearby or distant. This mismatch is known as the vergence-accommodation conflict, and it’s the reason many people experience visual discomfort when using a VR.

“We believe the brain has to fight against its normal coupling to handle that problem, and that makes some people uncomfortable,” said Banks. “That makes some people’s eyes tired. There are even some cases where it makes people nauseous; it gives them a headache.”

Banks told me about claims — largely unfounded so far, in his opinion — that people might experience long-lasting changes in the coupling between vergence and accommodation due to VR headsets. “I don’t believe that,” he said.

“Those couplings are fairly plastic. You can learn to change those relationships. The one you have naturally, I think you’ll just go back to that when you take the headset off and look around the room and give your eyes a second to adjust.”

But our experience of VR so far hasn’t included sustained use of HMDs for extended periods of time, especially by a large community. We’re heading into unknown territory, and even experts like Banks can’t be sure what we’ll find.

(...)

source: http://venturebeat.com/2015/04/18/w...-what-vr-is-doing-to-our-eyes-and-our-brains/

 

[bj00rn_]

I found an venturebeat article on this:

source: http://venturebeat.com/2015/04/18/w...-what-vr-is-doing-to-our-eyes-and-our-brains/

Slightly different (stereoscopy), but yes some people will experience VR in different ways purely based on how they are built and wired (I myself f.ex. have less 3D vision than average human being, but it doesn't generate any discomfort in VR). But there's little chance much damage could happen unless you force yourself to endure motion sickness and eye strain over hours every day if you're pre-conditioned.

 

[Hendrick's]

Have any of the VR companies mentioned offering vision correcting lenses as an option?

 

[low-G]

Can anyone explain why binoculars work without glasses but not VR? Or is this just some eventual focus fine tuning control that will enable the shift in the future?