Of course!  A 1X microscope objective with a two-foot aperture.  You're a
genius!

The question was whether it could be done with whatever technology is
used to make 3D displays, at least as I understood it.

It could not be done, for example, with vertical strips and slots,
because that changes which eye an image goes to, not its distance for
focusing. Holography is another technique used for 3D displays.

Of course lenses could do it, just generate a real image floating in
air a few inches from someone's eyes if that person is nearsighted.
But a giant thick lens is not comparable to any technology used for 3D
displays, so I didn't count the question as being about that as an
alternative.

John Savard

The question was whether it could be done with lenses.

It's an old and worthwhile question.  If eyeglasses make you see properly,
then why can't we invert the system and put "object glasses" on things to
make us myopes (or whatever your refractive error) see them properly
without having to have apparatus on our heads.

Actually, this isn't really an issue with a holographic display, but
since holographic displays don't yet exist, the kind of 3D displays
which do exist don't imply that any technology would exist that would
help.

In the case of a holographic display, able to create any arbitrary
light wavefront, if the corrective lens has to be within 1 cm of the
eye... then the only constraint is that the position of the head with
respect to the laptop has to be controlled to a tolerance of 1 cm.

Instead of bolting the laptop to one's head, it could even use
infrared sensors to monitor the position of one's head!

John Savard

No.  Corrective lenses must be near, or on (as in contact lenses) the eye.

Imagine using a laptop without having to wear corrective
eyeglasses.

I know that 3D displays exist that don't require special glasses.

So maybe this is possible as well?

Amir