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.