Oculus has miraculously cured my eyesight! Can someone explain how.

[Alec Turner]

I have to wear reading glasses to be able to read anything smaller than an Exit sign these days (just +2.0's but essential nevertheless). So here's what I don't understand. This morning I was using Bigscreen Beta to browse this forum from the comfort of a virtual luxury apartment balcony. The lights of the city were twinkling far below me, the clear night sky far above and the living room curtains were blowing gently in the breeze. I had my desktop on an elegantly curved 50" screen that was floating just off to my right. As I scrolled through the latest posts, occasionally leaning in a bit closer to read the text, a thought occured to me. I'm not wearing my glasses! How am I able to read this? In the real word (like now for example), if I take off my glasses this text is a complete blur (no matter how I position my head).

Can someone explain what's going on here because this seems miraculous.

P.S. I'm seriously thinking about letting my stepmother (who's practically blind and reads with the aid of a VERY expensive desktop magnifying machine) have a go at this. If it works, even a little bit, it could utterly transform her life.

 

[xondk]

It highly depends on how your eyes are lined up and problematic, if it is a focus issue, which this suggests, VR has had some news articles where it helps people with focus problems, even in near legally blind to be able to see, because of the way the images are separately displayed, BUT correctly correlated 3D distance.

The Technical reasons why it can help some, is beyond me, however it _can_ help some, but not all.

Generally people can be far sighted in many ways, where near sighted is a bit more limited in why it happens. But I've heard it helping some near sighted people too, obviously no actual papers behind it yet, being rather new, but if it helps, cool, keep using it, apparently it is good training for your eyes.

Just be aware it isn't magic, it is eye training, and it can help, but little is known on how long it helps or similar of yet.

 

[Arry]

Your eyes will default to the distance you focus at the most. Therefore if you change that distance: E.G. Stop looking at stars and start reading books more, your eyes will adjust; if you work at it.

 

[Alec Turner]

Your eyes will default to the distance you focus at the most. Therefore if you change that distance: E.G. Stop looking at stars and start reading books more, your eyes will adjust; if you work at it.

I just don't think that's true. I get that you can train your eyes a bit, indeed I resisted getting reading glasses for a fairly long time in the belief that once I did my eyes would relax and there'd be no going back (which was indeed the case). But I read small text all day long (I'm a software engineer) and I read books on my commute and the gradual degeneration of my eyesight to the point where I absolutely needed reading glasses was unstoppable (and certainly not reversable) no matter how hard I worked at it.

I just cannot focus on the text I'm typing now without glasses and yet in the Oculus, on a virtual representation of my desktop (and not on a virtual screen 100ft high either) I could read this without trying. It's fascinating.

 

[Cliché]

VR lenses are set to focus at a far distance from your eyes. I've read 1.3m, 2m, and infinity, depending on brand and model. So if you don't need glasses to see at those distances, then you don't need them for VR. It has nothing to do with what you can focus on right in front of your face, or even at monitor distances.

For some people, if you need reading glasses, sometimes you can exercise your eyes to where you can get buy for a short while w/o glasses. I used to be able to do this when I first started needing reading glasses. But now my eyes are too far gone to be able to do that, but I still don't need to wear glasses with the Rift.

 

[Alec Turner]

VR lenses are set to focus at a far distance from your eyes. I've read 1.3m, 2m, and infinity, depending on brand and model. So if you don't need glasses to see at those distances, then you don't need them for VR. It has nothing to do with what you can focus on right in front of your face, or even at monitor distances.

For some people, if you need reading glasses, sometimes you can exercise your eyes to where you can get buy for a short while w/o glasses. I used to be able to do this when I first started needing reading glasses. But now my eyes are too far gone to be able to do that, but I still don't need to wear glasses with the Rift.

Out of rep unfortunately but thanks, that's an explanation I can roll with!

 

[Arry]

Out of rep unfortunately but thanks, that's an explanation I can roll with!

Maybe age, is a factor. They say that we get set in our ways.

 

[popuptoaster]

I was told the same thing, eyes had always been perfect but the degeneration with age that makes it harder to focus close in shouldn't effect my VR experience due to the systems having a focus point far enough out that my eyes can still cope.

 

[PIXEL]

Anyone who can see clearly in the 'distance' will not have a problem with the CV1

...just a pity that Oculus didn't implement dial up dioptres (like binoculars and some cameras do) to make it easier to udjust for those with un-even distance viewing.

 

[Cliché]

...just a pity that Oculus didn't implement dial up dioptres (like binoculars and some cameras do) to make it easier to udjust for those with un-even distance viewing.

Yes. This is why I was originally interested in the OSVR/RAZER HDK2.
Hopefully Oculus will have it for generation 2, because I'm pretty sure I may need it by then.

 

[Ozram]

I have turned 40 this year and whenever I try to read close, or in low light, I just can't focus. What the hell is this aging thing! On a side note all your thread is doing is making me more obsessed with getting my hands on a VR headset!

 

[Avago Earo]

I have turned 40 this year and whenever I try to read close, or in low light, I just can't focus. What the hell is this aging thing! On a side note all your thread is doing is making me more obsessed with getting my hands on a VR headset!

47 and the same happened to my sight over last five years. Can still read signs at great distance pin sharp.

 

[popuptoaster]

47 and the same happened to my sight over last five years. Can still read signs at great distance pin sharp.

happened to me about age 46, 50 now, very slow degeneration of ability to focus in close have had a very slightly stronger prescription at each of my yearly checks ups.

 

[cygnusa]

I'm rather nearsighted myself.. haven't had a need to use glasses in my Vive at all and its been very comfortable. I had similar thoughts about the ability to help people with impaired vision through VR. I would think in certain cases it could be a useful tool, especially as the technology improves and resolution gets better.

As tech becomes wireless and even more miniaturized, I could see some sort of "Laforge" type eyewear (Star Trek the Next Generation reference). I'd imagine a device which projects an visually corrected augmented reality for the user. Maybe not quite direct retinal nerve technology in our day and age, but possibly other methods which would work for certain types of impairment.

 

[BlackSpaceCowboy]

I have turned 40 this year and whenever I try to read close, or in low light, I just can't focus. What the hell is this aging thing! On a side note all your thread is doing is making me more obsessed with getting my hands on a VR headset!

lol. Same here. This body is falling apart. I need a replacement soon.

 

[Ca$hback]

Focus is related to the iris deforming the lens. This is a matter of reflexive and conscious muscular control. A person can learn to use muscles by feeling them out and strengthening the neural pathways associated with the action. Some limits are set by the body itself (ever psyched yourself into palpitations and felt your heart stop?) to protect you and some are just atrophied abilities. That being said, there's only so much control you can exert and strength/coordination are related aspects of muscular development. Some muscles can only develop so far, it's built in to your genes.
With eye muscles you have to be very careful. Something that might seem to help your eyes might also be damaging them and the help is only a stone on the road.
It might not just be the (intended muscular) deformity of the lens but also opacity, transparency, brain stuff with the image processing and a number of other possibilities, I'm sure.
You can practice your eyesight by reading in the dark. Makes you better at reading in the dark but hurts you in other ways, like your focal "sweet spot".
VR might do the same thing in a different way. Might want to check with an eye doctor.