https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52992675

http://archive.is/qYUvC

Developer warns VR headset damaged eyesight

A software developer has tweeted about how wearing a VR headset for hours a day has damaged his eyesight.

A visit to the opticians left him "worried about my future VR use" after a doctor blamed the technology for a problem with his vision.

Glasses should correct the issue but would normally only "be prescribed to 40-year-olds", he tweeted.

The Association of Optometrists said it had not seen evidence that VR headsets could cause permanent eye damage.

Facebook-owned Oculus states in its handbook that one in 4,000 may suffer "dizziness, seizures, eye or muscle twitching." It recommends users suffering these symptoms discontinue using the headset and see a doctor.

Doctors have previously warned that virtual reality, which is the computer-generated simulation of a real or imaginary environment, can cause eye strain because the brain is forced to process visual stimuli in a different way to normal.

And users have complained about nausea and dizziness when using headsets, which is generally put down the the way a user perceives space around them, leading to motion sickness.

Danny Bittman, who has worked as a virtual reality developer for four years, suggested it could have affected his eyesight.

"Just had my first eye doctor visit in three years. Now I'm very worried about my future VR use. I have a new eye convergence problem that acts like dyslexia. The doc, a headset owner, is convinced my VR use caused this. He said "these glasses we usually prescribe to 40-year-olds", he tweeted.