--- title: "Another Apple VR Side Effect: Black Eyes" description: "Apple's Vision Pro VR headset is giving some users literal black eyes, MarketWatch reports, thanks to an awkward fit." date: "2024-04-12" modified: "2024-04-12" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/apple-vr-side-effect-black-eyes" categories: - "Future Society" - "Virtual Reality" tags: - "apple" - "the digest" - "vr headsets" --- # Another Apple VR Side Effect: Black Eyes ![Apple's Vision Pro VR headset is giving some users literal black eyes, MarketWatch reports, thanks to an awkward fit.]() *\Image: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)\* ## Beat Em Up Apple made a big splash with its [wildly expensive Apple Vision Pro]() virtual reality headset earlier this year. Despite its eye-watering pricetag of $3,500, the device impressed reviewers with stunning clarity and highly accurate hand and head tracking. But over time, the seams are starting to show. Thanks to the device's considerable heft — it weighs as much as a 12.9-inch iPad Pro — and a less-than-stellar fit for many, the headset is giving some users literal black eyes, [*MarketWatch* reports](). "I wasn’t able to use it very much the first few weeks because the fit was just off," Hopscotch Interactive chief media officer Emily Olman told the business news website. She had "like, super dark black eyes" after wearing the device, which "clearly \[placed\] too much weight on my cheeks." ## Pain in the Neck Other users corroborated the awkward fit. Consulting firm Signal and Cipter CEO Ian Beacraft told *MarketWatch* that he felt a soreness at the base of his skull and upper back after using it for just two hours. Other users fared a little better. "I could wear the 1.3-pound Vision Pro for four or five hours before my neck needed a break, but I had to adjust the fit often," *Washington Post* tech reporter Chris Velazco [wrote](), after wearing the device for two weeks. Meanwhile, Apple [recommends]() taking the headset off every 20 to 30 minutes. Other users have reported getting headaches and [even ]()a [burst blood vessel in an eye]() in one instance. Apart from literal pain, reviewers have pointed out a number of other downsides to the first-generation device, including a passthrough camera that translates everything the wearer sees with blurry results, and a lackluster app ecosystem. In short, the Apple Vision Pro is a technological marvel — but certainly not an ergonomic one. But chances are that Apple engineers are already hard at work trying to slim down the next iteration, which isn't expected to come out for [at least a year and a half](). **More on the headset:** *[Apple Fans Horrified to Discover Vision Pro Can't Play VR Porn]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()