Users have been cautioned by scientists not to use headsets such as the Apple Vision Pro for prolonged periods of time or every day. This isn’t in line with how Apple, in particular, has promoted the Vision Pro thus far. The device has been positioned as a replacement for your current gadgets, such as your iPad, Mac, and iPhone. On its website, the Vision Pro is marketed as a tool for performing commonplace chores such as virtual monitor online browsing, note-taking, video conferencing, building to-do lists, and messaging.
However, as reported by Scientific American, experts in VR and AR technology claim that there may be detrimental effects on human health that call for more investigation. Their main worry is that consistent daily usage of a gadget like the Vision Pro, especially for prolonged periods of time, may begin to affect users’ thought processes and social interactions. This may have as yet unidentified effects on how they learn and function. For instance, a 2019 study found that people who wore headsets experienced social isolation.
Apple has tried to address the issue of social isolation with the Vision Pro by incorporating the controversial EyeSight feature, which integrates a display into the front of the headset which projects the wearer’s eyes to an outside observer. However, in practice, the feature looks to be far removed from Apple’s marketing shots with the wearer’s eyes looking very pixelated and not as natural as the marketing would have us believe. This, of course, limits its effectiveness in counteracting this obvious downside of putting on a headset and entering a mix–reality or completely immersive virtual environment.
Other negative impacts of wearing headsets that were well known before the Vision Pro arrived on the scene have also been reported by Vision Pro users. These include the fact that while the Vision Pro boasts an impressive combined 23 million pixel resolution, this pales in comparison to the human eye which can see 567 million pixels per eye. This could potentially cause impacts on how wearer’s eyes function in the real world, including motor coordination and interaction with real-world objects as this is substantially altered when wearing a headset. A common complain among Vision Pro wearers to date includes eyestrain.
This Vision Pro is also heavy, leading to complaints about neck pain and fatigue. The narrow field of view and distortion effects when using passthrough can contribute to feeling nauseous even after less than one hour of use, which the researchers say can negatively impact their productivity and general well-being. There are already numerous research papers highlighting the negative impacts of smartphone use that have only emerged over time.
Consequently, one of the research teams speaking to Scientific American recommended “caution and restraint” from companies promoting daily use of headsets until further research is conducted.
