No, you cannot use the Apple Vision Pro with conventional eyeglasses. With the recent introduction of the Vision Pro, Apple made a debut in the mixed-reality headset market. The headset will offer you a new gaming, browsing, video-calling, and content consumption experience.
Designed to offer a comfortable fit, the Vision Pro does not leave enough room for you to wear glasses under the headset. Secondly, wearing the headset on top of prescription glasses would affect its fidelity and eye-tracking functionality.
The solution to this problem lies in a partnership between Apple and ZEISS—a renowned German lens manufacturer. Through this partnership, Zeiss will be producing custom optical inserts that attach magnetically to the Vision Pro. The inserts will be tailored to match each user’s prescription glasses, hence correcting the user’s vision while using the mixed-reality headset.
Get to know what the Vision Pro Is, why you can’t use it with your glasses on, and what Apple is doing to address this issue.
What is the Apple Vision Pro?
Before figuring out whether you can use the Apple Vision Pro with glasses, let’s first discern what it is. Termed a spatial computer by its manufacturer, Vision Pro is essentially a wearable computer that delivers a one-of-a-kind augmented and virtual reality experience.
It is a stand-alone computer that does not require other devices to work. This is to say that the Vision Pro is not merely a virtual reality headset. It has been designed to blend seamless digital experiences into the user’s surroundings.
For instance, you could use the headset to chat with other people as though they were in the same room and have various applications (apps) floating in your office. With the Vision Pro, you get to control everything using your eyes and hand gestures. Other amazing features of this headset include:
- Advanced hand-input sensors and cameras
- Aluminum alloy frame
- 3-dimensional laminated glass
- Audio straps that deliver exceptional spatial audio
- Micro-OLED displays that deliver over 4K pixels per eye
- Adjustable headband
- A digital Crown that allows you to select your desired level of immersion
- A top button for taking videos and photos in real-time
- An external battery to reduce the weight of the headset
The Design
The Vision Pro headset is designed in such a way that there is just no room for you to wear glasses beneath it. So, what exactly does it look like? Overall, it looks much like a bulky pair of swimming goggles but features lenses and screens.
The exterior design of this headset features a modular design that comprises of:
- The Enclosure
The headset features a three-dimensionally formed laminated glass on its exterior. The glass is built into an aluminum alloy frame in such a way that it wraps around your face. The glass serves as the optical surface for multiple sensors and cameras.
The glass is also the attachment point for the Light Seal.
- Light Seal
To block out stray light, the Vision Pro headset comes with a flexible light seal that can stretch to accommodate your face. The light seal comes in multiple shapes and sizes to give you a precise fit for your face.
- Straps
The headset has a pair of flexible straps that are meant to hold it in ace during use. The straps may be adjusted to fit your head. You should adjust them in such a way that the Audio Pods rest just close to your ears.
- Head Band
Then there is a headband that also comes in multiple sizes and styles. The headband is flexible and breathable, providing the cushioning required for a comfortable fit. Using the Fit Dial, you can easily adjust the headset to fit your head more precisely.
- EyeSight
This is the exterior display on the front of the Vision Pro headset. It shows your eyes to the world and helps let others know when you are just using the apps and when you are fully immersed.
Now back to the main question, does Apple Vision Pro work with glasses? As you can tell, the headset is designed to offer a tight, yet comfortable fit around your eyes. As such, there is no way you can wear the Vision Pro on top of your eyeglasses.
Can Apple Vision Pro be Worn with Glasses?
Even if your glasses were to fit beneath the Vision Pro headset, the unit would not function as it should. To begin with, it is meant to be as close to the eyes as possible to monitor their movement more precisely.
Secondly, the eyeglasses would reflect light within the headset and affect the fidelity and eye-tracking functionality. As such, wearing prescription glasses beneath the Apple Vision Pro is just not an option.
How Apple’s Vision Pro Works With Prescription Glasses
Rather than having you wear prescription glasses beneath the headset, Apple is partnering with Zeiss to address this issue. Zeiss will produce optical inserts that can be customized to your specific vision prescription.
You can then attach these inserts to your Vision Pro lenses magnetically. In addition to correcting your vision, such inserts allow for precise viewing and eye tracking. The downside to this solution is that the inserts will be sold separately. With the Vision Pro price starting at $3,499, having to spend more money on inserts may prove to be too expensive for some users.
It is not yet known how much those inserts will cost, but Bloomberg’s Mark hinted that the inserts could cost anywhere between $300 and $600. Again, it is still not clear whether Zeiss can produce optical inserts tailored to every vision prescription out there.
Other than that, all you need is a valid prescription and you can get the right inserts for use with your Vision Pro headset.
Final Verdict
Although you can’t use the Apple Vision Pro with glasses, it is quite admirable that the manufacturer is addressing corrective vision right from the start. This is arguably one of the main issues that led to the downfall of the Google Glass.
Right from day one, Apple is considering the users who wear prescription glasses. The company has brought such users onboard with optical inserts produced by Zeiss to match their vision prescription.
The Apple Vision Pro, alongside the innovate prescription inserts, will be available for early adopters with deep pockets in 2024.
