Why do glasses need to be worn to see in a VR headset, but don’t need to be worn to see any other screen being held close to the face? (shortsighted)

Question

Why do glasses need to be worn to see in a VR headset, but don’t need to be worn to see any other screen being held close to the face? (shortsighted)

In: Physics

Answer 1

Because the VR headset has optics in it that make it appear to be farther from your face than it really is. This is a feature, for most, because most people can’t focus on something as close as a nearsighted person can focus.

There might be an adjustment to the goggles, to fold in your prescription, but the less expensive they are the less likely you are to find this.