Well, this is awkward. As it turns out, I won’t be able to use Apple’s new product called Vision due to my own vision. Like a lot of people, I wear glasses to correct my eyesight. I can pass an eye exam and drive a motorcycle, but I cannot use Apple Vision Pro.

“ZEISS received your prescription and determined that they are unable to create your optical inserts,” says the email notifying me that my optical inserts order was canceled.

“Not all prescriptions are supported”

I worried this might happen as soon as Apple announced Vision Pro. I wrote this half an hour after the launch keynote last year:

Somewhat frustratingly (but also probably for the best experience), Vision Pro requires magnetically attached corrective lenses from ZEISS for users who wear glasses – like me and Tim Cook.

Other headsets use physical spacers to accommodate glasses, but Vision Pro’s advanced eye tracking capabilities help drive visionOS. That probably means eye glass reflectivity is a deal breaker for Vision Pro, thus the less convenient solution.

[…] However, and this is a big but, Apple adds that “not all prescriptions are supported.”

What does this mean? We hope to find out!

However, I thought my concern was addressed when Apple’s website added that eye prescriptions with prism values were incompatible. My prescription has no prism value.

Apple Store demo

Then I experienced a Vision Pro demo session at an Apple Store. It was a fantastic Vision Pro trial, but I didn’t have corrective lenses.

My memory of using Apple Vision Pro so far is distant and blurry. That’s because there weren’t optical inserts for my particular corrective lens prescription. Still, I had to try Apple Vision Pro, and it was an interesting 30 minutes.

I figured my eye prescription was just not common enough for every Apple retail store to keep optical inserts available. I’ve since spent time using a friend’s Vision Pro. I’ve enjoyed the experience enough that I thought it was worth ordering the right optical inserts and having a proper experience.

Canceled by ZEISS

Unfortunately, my order was canceled within a couple hours of placing it. ZEISS reviewed my prescription and determined that it did not support making optical inserts for my needs.

This is my prescription:

• OD (Right Eye)
  • Sphere: +3.00 (farsightedness)
  • Cylinder: -0.575 (mild astigmatism)
  • Axis: 024 degrees (orientation of correction)
• OS (Left Eye)
  • Sphere: +0.50 (slight farsightedness)
  • Cylinder: -1.00 (moderate astigmatism)
  • Axis: 180 degrees (orientation of correction)

ZEISS offers an explanation of sorts:

Your prescription report:

Unfortunately, we are unable to create your ZEISS Optical Inserts Prescription with the prescription you have uploaded. Here’s why:

Issues found:

Outside of refraction value ranges the product delivers.

How to solve:

We’re sorry, but your prescription values go beyond the available vision correction ZEISS Optical Inserts can provide at the moment. Unfortunately, we are unable to produce ZEISS Optical Inserts for you. Please refer back to Apple for order related information. We hope to better serve you in the future.

Solutions?

Bummer. So what can be done about it?

I suppose I could give contact lenses another shot. I wore them in high school and college, but I could never see as well as with my glasses. However, I tried contacts again last year with the goal of being able to wear any sunglasses. A decade of advancements in contact lens technology did not make the experience any better for me.

What about Lasik, you ask? I would love to not need glasses at all! I don’t know if I’m a candidate for Lasik eye surgery yet, but I checked the price just in case: $3,960. That just happens to be the same price as the 512GB Apple Vision Pro with sales tax.

Huh, is that a sign? Yes, a sign that I won’t properly experience Apple Vision Pro anytime soon. I’m certainly a spatial computer believer based on my experiences so far. This particular product just isn’t designed for me, unfortunately.

For what it’s worth, people have experimented with using glasses with Apple Vision Pro, but this presents the obvious risk of damaging your glasses, Vision Pro, or both — not to mention how it affects the eye tracking experience.

Have you had a similar experience? Do you think this is a problem that Apple could design around in the future? Share your thoughts in the comments.