Maybe I was sent the wrong prescription on my lens inserts?

[Kevin Palser]

I held off buying my AVP until I had my latest eyes exam and prescription at the end of July. Via Apple's ordering flow I purchased lenses using my distance prescription from Zeiss. The lenses arrived a few days at my home before I went to purchase the AVP from the nearest local Apple Store.

As much as I love the AVP, I start to get headaches within minutes (5-10) of using it. It tends to be more bearable when watching videos but I always end up feeling the effects. As a result weeks can go by without me using it.

I started to get suspicious that perhaps the lenses were the wrong prescription so after speaking to local opticians I found one that was prepared to measure the prescription in my glasses vs my insert lenses (both distance).

My glasses showed a minor deviation from the prescription, a value I could dismiss as being introduced my the measuring optical device. The Zeiss lenses deviated far more significantly and now I am suspecting they are the cause of the headaches.

Spoke to Apple and they asked me to contact Zeiss. Zeiss then told me to contact Apple. Now speaking to Apple again and they said they need to discuss internally after I suggested visiting the Apple store and having them measure and compare my lenses from the glasses and inserts. I shall update this thread when I know more.

In the meantime, I have a question:

Might Zeiss change the lens inserts values to deviate from my prescription to meet the requirements/characteristics of the AVP?

 

[Kevin Palser]

Left image: Measured values provided by an optician of the Zeiss inserts:
Right image: My prescription and the values shown on the Zeiss website for my order.

So.. is the 0.75 sphere discrepancy on both lenses required/intentional to work with AVP or is it a mistake?

 

[ab22]

I suggested visiting the Apple store and having them measure and compare my lenses from the glasses and inserts. I shall update this thread when I know more.

good idea; you can also switch your inserts with those provided for a 'demo' & see if there's a noticeable difference.

 

[Kevin Palser]

good idea; you can also switch your inserts with those provided for a 'demo' & see if there's a noticeable difference.

I thought it was a good idea too but the Apple support agent on the call spoke to my local Apple Store and they said they were told that the machine only works with lenses in spectacles… which suggests the inserts could well be offset/adjusted. I have emailed Zeiss again with a link to this post and hope they will digest and have an answer for the discrepancy.

Apple have patiently listened and helped guide me through using the Zeiss website and their Health app to confirm the known prescription recorded correctly in the order flow. However, since 6 months have passed there are less options - this scenario seems to be irrespective of Apple Care.

 

[ab22]

switching the demo lenses suggested by your spectacles in their lensometer; for those sent by Zeiss, might show some noticeable visual difference...

or just take a demo - & if no headaches after 15 minutes - you're on the right track

 

[ab22]

The mess of prescription optical inserts for VR headsets

I’ve been looking into prescription optical inserts for my VR headsets so I don’t need to get a special contact lens prescription just for VR use… and it’s messy.

echeng.com

includes this… the Vision Pro itself tells me the lens powers when I snap them in

if true, you could take your AVP along & snap in the demo-suggested vs your own & see what it says. I've no clue where/how it tells you - unable to get inserts for my prescription

edit : I see from https://support.apple.com/en-us/120052 that it shows in settings… but can't say if that works for full prescription versions



Choose the ZEISS Optical Inserts — Readers power that matches the reading glasses that you use for reading a book. If you use readers with a strength above +2.75D, you can try the +2.00 to +2.75D ZEISS Optical Inserts — Readers with Apple Vision Pro, or consult an eye care professional for a comprehensive prescription.
The ranges above are translated to the corresponding actual lens power after you pair your ZEISS Optical Inserts with your Vision Pro. In Settings, they appear as: +0.25D, +0.50D, or +0.75D, depending on the ZEISS Optical Inserts purchased.

 

[bhodinut]

When I got mine they had the astigmatism axis off by 90 degrees. Pretty easy to tell just by rotating them. Took three tries to get them to actually read the prescription properly and make the right lenses.

 

[ab22]

they had the astigmatism axis off by 90 degrees.

OP's seem to be 002/205 vs Zeiss 100/060 according to the measurement; although I can't say if that makes a big difference with -0.25 cyl; my own -3.5 it certainly would.

 

[Kevin Palser]

Took three tries to get them to actually read the prescription properly and make the right lenses.

Three tries to get it correct is messed up. Was it ZEISS also responsible for your lenses? I'm guessing with whom Apple partners depends on the region in the world.

 

[Kevin Palser]

Appreciate the responses - I do not pretend to understand the technical details of the prescription values without reading up more.

I spared time today for some basic experiments:

1. Tried without the inserts and recalibrating - blurry to the point of being almost unusable. No surprises.
2. Tried the solo band - I hadn't tried it since the store demo, more comfortable than I remembered but did not feel it alleviated the eye strain/head ache aspects.
3. Without the AVP, maintaining the inserts at a similar position to my glasses - Yes, the inserts brought things into focus. I fixated on the wall about 7 to 8 metres away. I could see the texture of objects hung on the wall better with my normal glasses than with the inserts. Truth be told, if I hadn't been looking for a difference I don't think I would have noticed it. I swapped between my glasses and inserts several times to be confident about my comparison.

Point 1 helped me appreciate more the obvious fact of just how essential lens inserts are for anyone with distance correcting glasses. It also left me thinking that perhaps the image could be sharper for me. For example when watching the Alicia Keys immersive experience I started to think that some of the foreground items in the studio were slightly blurred and that my general experience is also compromised.

Point 3 (unless I was positioning the inserts incorrectly) strengthens my opinion that the 0.75 discrepancy might be a mistake and not a required offset for the AVP. But is it really enough to cause eye strain/headaches?

 

[dandrewk]

I too have distance corrected inserts. I too experience eye strain after 30-60 mins with AVP, to the point of having to stop using it. I've tried a couple of things that work:

1. Follow the 20-20-20 rule for up close monitor work - Every 20 minutes, look away at something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds. I use a timer app to keep track of the time.
2. Most helpful - the strain might be caused by a too bright display, especially if you're not used to it. This makes sense, especially if you are watching an 8k immersive video with lots of snow or brightly lit video. If you were actually at these locations, you'd probably wear sunglasses.

The best way to handle #2 is to reduce the white point. This has the effect of lowering the brightest parts of the image, similar to how sunglasses with blue blocking works. The overall effect will be to bring down contrast in the bright parts. I barely notice the difference in bright scenes, and not at all on web pages, etc. My eyes don't get so tired. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > White Point.

I set mine at the lowest (25%) but there is a slider bar. There is a shortcut that can do it all in one click. Sadly though, it currently doesn't work for AVP yet.

 

[ab22]

Point 3 (unless I was positioning the inserts incorrectly) strengthens my opinion that the 0.75 discrepancy might be a mistake and not a required offset for the AVP. But is it really enough to cause eye strain/headaches?

Are you near enough to have another demo & take your own inserts along to compare ?.

 

[Kevin Palser]

Are you near enough to have another demo & take your own inserts along to compare ?.

3 hours round trip to the nearest store so it will have to wait. But yes, that is my intention.

 

[Kevin Palser]

I finally went a long to the nearest App Store. They swapped my light seal from a 21W to a 25W (free of charge) so that the insets are no longer rubbing pressing hard against the bridge of my nose.

They used lensometer on my glasses and I tried some inserts that seemed to be subtly slightly sharper (at least in my mind). But here's the catch - they said they couldn't swap them. They told me to call Apple support. I did this the next day and was told that after 14 days they cannot exchange them - so a new pair would need to be purchased.

The following is where it starts to get a bit weird / difficult to follow - when I visited back in July 2024 for the initial demo I was told I could buy the lenses and the VP there and then. When I explained on the call that I didn't want to have any further dealing with ZEIS unless the lenses where based on those measured and handed over to me from the the Apple Store, I was told that they only sell readers... which apparently doesn't mean necessarily reading glasses equivalents and that to get inserts that best match prescriptions they need to be ordered. The lady on the call from Apple said she didn't fully understand either. So I'm not sure if it has always been this way (i.e not as good a match) or they have less options now... I'm so confused. Not sure what to do next but I felt like the ones they had me demo with from this last visit were better and would have liked to have left with them.

 

[Kevin Palser]

Today I started looking at other options including 3D printing the inserts. Which took me down the route of looking at adapters for another popular VR headset to use their lenses in the VP. And then I came across this link:

Apple Vision Pro Prescription Lenses (Optical Inserts) (Magnetic Mount)

We customize lenses according to your eye prescription, enter your precise eyeglass prescription, get the lenses tailored for your Apple Vision Pro.

www.vr-rock.com

It states very clearly that the QR pairing code is not supplied being an unofficial source - but since I already have a QR code from the ZEIS and as far as I can tell there is not anything smart in the VP to detect the characteristics of the lenses I think I shall be good.

I've ordered a pair and the advertise a lot more options:

• Anti-Fog(Cost-Free)
• Oil-Resistant (Cost-Free)
• Scratch-Resistant (Cost-Free)
• Dust-Resistant (Cost-Free)
• Easy to Clean (lotus effect) (Cost-Free)
• Radiation-Resistant (Cost-Free)
• Anti-fatigue (Cost-Free)
• Anti-Blue Light (+$5)
• Anti-Glare (+$5)

They ship to my country, the UK, for free in 5-7 days and the total cost is about only one third of the ZEIS/Apple lenses. Not sure if UK customs might ask me to pay some sort of fee.

Trying to limit my expectations but I'll update here my findings when (if?) they arrive.

 

[goldmac2006]

good idea; you can also switch your inserts with those provided for a 'demo' & see if there's a noticeable difference.

That’s what I do y’all…

If I were to get a Vision Pro I would really need it.

for ZEISS inserts even in the demo I can’t use the eye tracking properly without it.

Ngl I have a stronger prescription lens on the right side than the other and it worked

 

[Kevin Palser]

An update from the VR-Rock 3rd party lenses. They were shipped from China and took 9 days to reach my door step. No customs charges incurred.

Good:

• Came with a smart zip up storage pouch and some and simple cleaning clothes (no such things included with ZEISS lenses).
• Only slightly thicker insert surround than ZEISS inserts - do not rub against my eyes
• Although they did not seem to snap in as firmly as ZEISS, they attach sufficiently to have no fear of them dropping out or shifting.
• Strengths seem accurate when I hold up to my eyes.

Bad:

• Does not work when selecting the existing stored prescription when prompted.
• The special QR pair code that came with ZEIS inserts (and also subsequently visible in Health app) is rejected when trying to pair these - Apple obviously has some security factored in.
• Tried the no lenses configuration option at start-up. Hand setup is fine. Eye setup will simply not allow me to go beyond selecting the first couple of dots. Does not matter how much I try to focus on the dots after the first couple as they do highlight. So impossible to get past setup.

In short, I couldn't recommend this alternative because of being stuck at the setup screens.

I know there are other 3rd party alternatives out there like:
https://voyglasses.com/products/adjustable-vr-prescription-lens-for-apple-vision-pro

However, I'm going to have to bear with what I have and the recent improved comfort from changing from the 21W to a 25W light seal. At the end of the day our vision is not going to stay the same as we age and I tend to get new distance prescriptions every couple of years... just hope Apple will not do something maddening for future models like changing the shape of the inserts sockets requiring new ones to be purchased.