VR with Eye Problems

[Clover11]

I am looking to build a PC for sim racing and am considering buying VR but I am not sure if it will work for me. After some problems with a medication, I developed cataracts and had to have my lenses replaced in both eyes which makes me wonder if I can even see VR. The lenses I have in my eyes don't focus on close distances and I can't read anything closer then about 16" from my face. This makes me think that VR would be too close for me to focus and I won't be able to see. Anybody have any experience with VR after cataracts or other vision problems? VR seems like it would be awesome for sim racing but it may not be for me.

 

[NeoGrotesk]

VR is odd. The screens are really close to your eyes but what you focus on is in the distance. I'm short sighted, which I know is minor compared to what you're talking about, but I have to wear my glasses in vr as I do when driving in real life. I've now got prescription lenses that fit into the vr headset so I don't need to wear glasses (but do have to remove the lenses if anyone else wants to use the headset).

My advice would be to try one first if possible, or buy one from somewhere with a good return policy.

 

[tony wright]

Presently I’m wearing my .2 reading glasses to type this, otherwise everything is just a blur. Thankfully there is no need for them in VR. Obviously difficult to say in your case and only one sure way to find out would be to try before you buy.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Check out this article, might have the answer you are looking for.

The created illusion of an image that is farther away than in reality is called a virtual image. If the rays of light between the intermediate lens and the eyes are projected backward, they will intersect in a single point behind the VR screen (Figure 2). This is the reason why users can focus on the images from the VR displays that are so close to their eyes. They are not trying to focus on images generated very close to their faces but on virtual images that seems to be at a larger distance. The distance of the virtual images depends on the model of the HMD. In the Oculus Rift DK1, the virtual screens were infinitely far away while in the Oculus Rift DK2, they were about 4.5 feet away. [1]

 

[GagarynGaribaldi]

I am looking to build a PC for sim racing and am considering buying VR but I am not sure if it will work for me. After some problems with a medication, I developed cataracts and had to have my lenses replaced in both eyes which makes me wonder if I can even see VR. The lenses I have in my eyes don't focus on close distances and I can't read anything closer then about 16" from my face. This makes me think that VR would be too close for me to focus and I won't be able to see. Anybody have any experience with VR after cataracts or other vision problems? VR seems like it would be awesome for sim racing but it may not be for me.

I have pretty bad eyesight so need to wear varifocals. On top of that my right eye is strongly dominant and even the corrected vision from my left eye is pretty poor - the reason why my brain pretty much ignores it - it knows it can't be trusted!

I had two fears when getting into VR -
1) would I be able to focus and
2) would I properly experience the 3D effect.

Luckily VR still works brilliantly even with my shitty eyes. Like @Andrew_WOT says, your eyes need to focus on a distant image in VR due to the way the screens and lenses are set-up. I got prescription lenses that fit in the headset from VROptician - wearing glasses in a headset is a nightmare - mine don't fit! The prescription lenses are made using the distance part of my prescription, not the near part. And my brain still gives the full 3D effect in VR just like it does in real life - even with one eye that works better than the other.