Artifact developing in center of lens

[Anonymous]

Forgive me in advance for not reading in every place I might be able to
find an answer to this question. But perhaps those of you who are
well-read will take the time to provide an answer if you have one. Can
anyone tell me what is happening to my CV1 lenses? The center of the
lenses would typically provide the best view, however that has changed
as I now have noticeable blurring in the direct center of both lenses.
Even god-rays, which I'm used to dealing with, are not quite as annoying
as this has become.

An area the size of a dime has become white
and milky in the dead center of each lens. The light and the camera I'm
using don't really do it justice as it is washing out the exact aspect
I'm trying to capture, but I did my best to photograph. The effect it
creates on my VR experience makes it very hard for my eyes to focus as the lens
behaves as if there is an oil smudge on it. I'm fairly certain this is a
new development for my Rift.

I believe whatever is creating the
white appearance/substance is also causing the light to scatter rather
than focus and project correctly, which could be creating the blurring
effect I've been struggling with lately. In any case, here are the link
to the photos: https://postimg.org/gallery/16zwm1vd6

And then
there are also areas toward the outside of the lens that I've drawn a
box around. These areas appear to be either "wet" in certain areas, and
pitted with "wetness" in other areas. I don't know that these are
creating any problems visually, but it was more of a curiosity.

[TwoHedWlf]

Do you have condensation inside the lenses? 

[HiThere_]

I've got a permanent smudge at the center of each of my lenses, which I attribute to the (too) many times the (too) narrow CV1 faceplate pulled off my glasses and banged them right into the CV1 lenses when I took the headset off.

But truth is I haven't tried to remove them with anything but the default CV1 cloth on the CV1 lenses, out of fear of turning a bad issue into a worse one.

That's where the Gear VR design shines : ~100$ and you've got a brand new pair of lenses for your ~800$ VR headset (and with the Gear VR's focus dial you wouldn't even be wearing your glasses to begin with...).

My solution : Make sure my next VR headset is properly equipped with a focus dial, or at the very least is designed wide enough to fit the glasses of an average 6 feet tall adult, and preferably both.

[Anonymous]

TwoHedWlf said:

Do you have condensation inside the lenses? 

I'd be surprised if it is condensation, but I suppose it is possible. If it is condensation, is there any way for me to clean the inside of the lenses without destroying my Rift in the process? Also, has anyone else reported issues of condensation leaving residue on the inside of the lenses?

It really does appear that the lenses need to be wiped on the inside, but I've been looking around and it appears that the lens is a hybrid design wherein two lenses are glued together. Does that sound right? So, even if I had access to both sides of the lens, I don't think it would give me access to what I'm assuming would be there. Anyone have insight on this?

[TwoHedWlf]

Warm them up and put them somewhere warm and dry for a while?

[cybereality]

I have not heard of this before. I'd recommend contacting Oculus Support. Thanks.
https://support.oculus.com/

[elboffor]

You know i thought i was mad when i was noticing this on mine. I assumed i was over thinking things and try to ignore it but i also have this.
I think the distortion is on the inside of the unit. God rays always hit and distort right on the centre and i assumed it was normal.
Reading this though it looks like i may need to raise a ticket 😕

P.s.
I dont wear specs and have never let anyone who wears them use my rift without removing them first, so it aint that.

Edit, having checked you photos and not just reading the description i think mine is something different 😕

[Anonymous]

TwoHedWlf said:

Warm them up and put them somewhere warm and dry for a while?

I always leave my Rift plugged-in 24/7 on a computer that is never turned off. This means the Rift always stays above ambient room temperature due to the shadow power draw. Essentially, this drives moisture away from the unit. My point being that if this is a moisture-driven issue, the problem now is what the moisture has left behind, not the moisture itself. In which case I am again left with the option of opening the rift for the purpose of cleaning the lenses. My question is this: Are the fresnel ridges exposed on the interior side of the lens? If not, well then, something else is definitely going on.

Cybereality, I did open a support ticket with Oculus on this, but so far I've only been provided with a link on how to clean the Rift. I'm still waiting for an additional response after I sent in photos.

Elboffor and Cyril, I wear contacts with my rift. I've never actually tried to wear it with glasses, but I know it wouldn't be ideal so why even try. And despite the aberrations that appear on the lens surface in my photos, I can tell you that in person the lens surface appears to be perfect. I can't find a single defect like a scratch or anything. However, Elboffor, I can tell you that you shouldn't be getting god-rays so close to the center of your vision. And it really does sound like you may have the same issue as me where this white film is causing an otherwise unnoticeable god-ray to scatter into a blurry mess. It's extremely difficult to see with the naked eye when inspecting the lens which is why I had to resort to an additional light source to see exactly what the heck was going on. Do you have an LED light or something you can use to get a better look?

[lenne0815]

are you storing it in a way which could explain dirt accumulation in the center of the lenses ? ( like hanging it so the lenses are level ? )

[Anonymous]

lenne0815 said:

are you storing it in a way which could explain dirt accumulation in the center of the lenses ? ( like hanging it so the lenses are level ? )

I do hang them from a hook such that the lenses are parallel with the floor. Luckily I can eliminate this as a problem. The room where the Rift is hooked up is air sealed for the most part. Air is pumped in through a HEPA filtration system. Not only that, air is recirculated within the space through a second system to remove any local dust vectors. Think clean room. So not only is dirt not a problem, even fine dust isn't a concern.

I'm thinking the issue could be adhesive failure. I believe I read somewhere that Oculus glued two different pieces of poly-carbonate together to produce a single lens. If the adhesive is failing, the white haze I'm seeing on the Fresnel grooves would develop.

If someone could confirm that there is no glue or bonding adhesive/solution used in the process of making the lens, I could narrow down the issue a bit. I'm concerned that I'm dealing with a manufacturing defect.