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I’ve just learned the Vergence-accommodation conflict [1]. VR/AR, from now on is a no-go for me. It never came to my mind that those headsets had such a problem

I’ve just learned the Vergence-accommodation conflict [1]. VR/AR, from now on is a no-go for me. It never came to my mind that those headsets had such a problem. We’re talking about an accommodation distance of what, three centimeters? I’m already on my way to reverse my myopia, sorry, I can’t take an even more unhealthy visual environment [3]. Half of the world is already on its way to be myopic by 2050 according to research [2], and keep in mind this is only the effect of smartphones. You don’t exactly hold them centimeters away from your eyes. I’ll stick with my plans of buying a projector if I ever want giant screens. 1: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vergence-accommodation_conflict https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vergence-accommodation_confl... 2: https://www.aaojournal.org/article/s0161-6420(16)00025-7/fulltext https://www.aaojournal.org/article/s0161-6420(16)00025-7/ful... 3: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XPIGDSY_xBs https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XPIGDSY_xBs

chis 3y ago
The accomodation distance can be set to any value by the headset lens design. The problem he's discussing is that you can't change the distance depending on the content shown. Probably apple is setting the distance to 1 meter since that's where they show all their content at. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vergence-accommodation_conflict#Measure_of_VAC https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vergence-accommodation_conflic...
- Aerbil313 3y ago
  Oh thanks! I understood, but why is there written "VR headset screen" in the image in the wikipedia page? Probably a mistake, right? It confused me.
losvedir 3y ago
No, you misunderstand. The lenses between your eyes and the screens will give it a focal distance of something like ~2 meters. So from an eye health / focus point of view it will be like staring at a wall 2 meters away all day (which is possibly better than staring at a computer screen .5m away!). This is why nearsighted people still need some sort of accommodation in VR. The thing to realize is there's two different kinds of focusing: the first is the one everyone thinks of which is how your two eyes work together. They point together when focusing close, and spread apart when focusing far. But separately each eye also can focus individually. Try covering one eye and holding up a finger at arms' length for your other eye to focus on. Then switch to focusing on the wall with that eye, and back. You'll feel your eye muscle making the adjustment. In the real world these two kinds of focuses normally operate in sync. If you want to look far, you'll normally both point your eyes further apart and adjust the individual eye focus for distance, and when you want to look close, you'll point your eyes kind of together and adjust each eye for near focus. But in VR, your "focal distance" is fixed at the generally comfortable ~2m I mentioned. However, because it's a 3D world you can look near and far, and in that case you'll change how your eyes point but not the other kind of focus. So I'm not sure to what extent that causes problems, if any, but it's different from staring at something a few centimeters away.
- Aerbil313 3y ago
  I undersood now, the text "VR headset screen" in the wikipedia page confused me. FYI, the latter one, individual eye's focus is the one which causes myopia.

chis 3y ago

The accomodation distance can be set to any value by the headset lens design. The problem he's discussing is that you can't change the distance depending on the content shown. Probably apple is setting the distance to 1 meter since that's where they show all their content at. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vergence-accommodation_conflict#Measure_of_VAC https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vergence-accommodation_conflic...

Aerbil313 3y ago
Oh thanks! I understood, but why is there written "VR headset screen" in the image in the wikipedia page? Probably a mistake, right? It confused me.

losvedir 3y ago

No, you misunderstand. The lenses between your eyes and the screens will give it a focal distance of something like ~2 meters. So from an eye health / focus point of view it will be like staring at a wall 2 meters away all day (which is possibly better than staring at a computer screen .5m away!). This is why nearsighted people still need some sort of accommodation in VR. The thing to realize is there's two different kinds of focusing: the first is the one everyone thinks of which is how your two eyes work together. They point together when focusing close, and spread apart when focusing far. But separately each eye also can focus individually. Try covering one eye and holding up a finger at arms' length for your other eye to focus on. Then switch to focusing on the wall with that eye, and back. You'll feel your eye muscle making the adjustment. In the real world these two kinds of focuses normally operate in sync. If you want to look far, you'll normally both point your eyes further apart and adjust the individual eye focus for distance, and when you want to look close, you'll point your eyes kind of together and adjust each eye for near focus. But in VR, your "focal distance" is fixed at the generally comfortable ~2m I mentioned. However, because it's a 3D world you can look near and far, and in that case you'll change how your eyes point but not the other kind of focus. So I'm not sure to what extent that causes problems, if any, but it's different from staring at something a few centimeters away.

Aerbil313 3y ago
I undersood now, the text "VR headset screen" in the wikipedia page confused me. FYI, the latter one, individual eye's focus is the one which causes myopia.