Disturbing warning issued over Apple Vision Pro headsets following new study

Researchers looking into Apple's Vision Pro headset have warned that long-term use of the virtual reality device could alter our cognitive functions in interesting ways.

The headset was only released earlier this month, but scientists are already looking at how it alters our senses.

If you're unaware, the Vision Pro is a headset worn over the eyes, offering 'augmented reality' for users.

Starting at a whopping $3,499 (£2,763) the Apple Vision Pro promises to combine 'digital content with your physical space'.

Following its release, a team at Stanford University and Michigan University tested several different headsets including the Vision Pro, as well as the Quest Pro, the Quest 3, the Varjo XR-3 and some night vision goggles.

And what they found was very interesting.

Anadolu/Getty Images

Researchers reported that they struggled to move through public and private spaces while wearing the headsets, claiming that objects were both closer and farther away than what they seemed.

They also reported feelings of 'simulator sickness', which are nausea, eye strain, headache and dizziness.

But perhaps the most concerning 'side effect' of wearing the headsets was feeling as though they were looking through a prism or a distorting mirror.

"Anyone who has spent time in a museum’s hall of mirrors that make people appear taller, thinner, or curvier understands this concept," researchers wrote.

Just like a funhouse mirror, scientists reported the headsets distorting lines, curving edges and altering distances between different objects.

"Because wearing passthrough technology involves seeing the world through a small number of cameras, there is often a discrepancy between the location of a user’s real eyes and the location of the camera display," they continued.

Despite this, researchers said that their brains began to adapt after wearing the Vision Pro for a few hours.

Scientists also reported how well 'deletion' works on the headset - for example, editing surroundings and deleting certain aspects.

Stanford University

"These headsets can not only add things to the real world, they can also delete them," Jeremy Bailenson, the study’s lead author, told Business Insider.

"I've been doing VR and AR for a while, and I had never in my life seen deletion work so well.

"What we're about to experience is, using these headsets in public, common ground disappears.

"People will be in the same physical place, experiencing simultaneous, visually different versions of the world. We're going to lose common ground."

The study says there needs to be more research to understand the possible long term effects of wearing these headsets.

However, Bailenson is more worried about how much time we spend in the headsets than the technology itself.

He told the outlet: "The world's going to be just fine. People adapt to media. These headsets are incredible.

"But philosophically, I do not believe we need to be wearing these headsets for hours every day."

LADbible has reached out to Apple for comment.