Apple Working on AR/VR Headset Technology to Help People With Eye Diseases

Future versions of the AR/VR headset that Apple has in development could help people with eye diseases, according to information shared over the weekend by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in his latest issue of the PowerOn newsletter. According to Gurman, Apple has a special XDG team exploring next-generation display technology, AI, and options for future AR/VR headsets that will assist people with visual issues.

Apple Glasses Triad Feature
While there is no detail available on just what Apple has in development for a future AR/VR headset, accessibility has always been an area of import for the company. Apple aims to make its devices usable by everyone, and the iPhone, iPad, and Mac have a range of accessibility settings that provide extra assistance with various visual, hearing, and motor issues.

Rumors suggest that the first version of the AR/VR headset will have more than a dozen cameras, several of which will be used for mapping the area around the user. This functionality could allow the headset to project extra visual information to those who are legally blind or have other visual problems, and it could potentially provide audio directions to those with no sight.

There could be targeted functions for people with diseases like AMD (Age-Related Macular Degeneration), which causes blind spots in the vision. Oculenz AR Wear glasses, for example, have been described as being able to use floating lenses to modify real-time streaming video to move objects into an area that people suffering from AMD can see.

Apple's first AR/VR headset is set to come out this year, and while we haven't heard news of specific accessibility settings, it stands to reason that even the first model will have some accommodations based on Apple's deep interest in accessibility on its other devices.

For more on what to expect from the AR/VR headset that Apple has coming this year, we have a dedicated AR/VR roundup that aggregates all of the rumors that we've heard so far.

Related Roundup: Apple Vision Pro
Buyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Neutral)
Related Forum: Apple Vision Pro

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's Upcoming Macs Listed in New Report

Thursday July 3, 2025 9:09 am PDT by
AppleInsider's Marko Zivkovic today shared a list of alleged identifiers for future Mac models, which should roll out over the next year or so. The report does not reveal anything too surprising, but it does serve as further evidence that Apple is seemingly working on new models of every Mac, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. Apple is...

Top Rated Comments

macsplusmacs Avatar
31 months ago
So cool. So Apple.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
michaelprescott Avatar
31 months ago
I'd love glasses that would help with night-vision and glare reduction. Seems like the entire tech stack is available and the form factor is nearly acceptable. Apple should be able to iterate it into the next generation.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kabeyun Avatar
31 months ago

Yeah, that’s nice. While you’re at it, make Control Center on iPhones with Face ID accessible for left handed people too. We make up like 10% of the general population. You can do this by allowing users to set the gesture to the upper left corner of the screen instead of the upper right.

It doesn't seem like a difficult fix, but apparently this issue hasn't crossed their minds.
Make this thread about you. Well done.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kabeyun Avatar
31 months ago

They aren't looking to help anyone, they're looking to find a way into more pockets, and in this case, it's looking like insurance companies.
All hail the Apple Expert!!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lounge vibes 05 Avatar
31 months ago

That is a tiny segment of the market, so not a prime mover.
As a member of that tiny segment of the market, it’s very important to Apple.
Apple created and maintains some of the best accessibility features for visually impaired people.
Features like voiceover, voice control, AssistiveTouch and others literally change how the operating system actually works, so they absolutely were not free to develop.
Voice Over is particularly complex, completely changing the entire layout of the operating systems, and how everything works.
And yet, it’s been a feature in macOS since 2005, iOS since 2009, and the Apple TV, Apple Watch, and HomePod since they first launched.
So… I don’t think Apple would agree with your assessment that features for low vision and blind users are “not a prime mover.”
In fact, given that the feature set grows and grows every year for accessibility, I’d say that you’re way off the mark with that statement.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
31 months ago

Us hearing all of this info is an indication that this is coming very soon.
Agreed! 90% sure it will be introduced in June, WWDC 2023.

https://www.macrumors.com/2023/02/15/apple-ar-vr-headset-launch-june/
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)