I’m afraid that’s just how the optics work.
In some way, they are indeed that. I do think having a greater distance between the eye and the lens provides a more comfortable longer working distance than “eye glasses” with the same magnification.
Also, at higher magnification, you need more light, and the built-in lighting does make a difference.
There are double-lensed magnifiers (often sold as “dentist magnifiers” or “dental loupes” or similar) which have a much longer working distance. But they have a much narrower field of view, are even more front-heavy (a head strap is the best way to go), and any head movements are far more pronounced at that longer distance. When working on boards, you usually want to look from the top down – with those loupe magnifiers, it might be a challenge to find a comfortable working orientation when you’re working on placing parts on boards (versus sculpting work where the object can be placed level to your eyes).
There are lots of choices - so whatever works well for you is good! At the end of the day, they’re just lenses, served up in various configurations. I like having my variety of lenses to fit the occasion and my mood. Heck, sometimes all I need is a super bright light and my regular reading glasses to do what I need.
I do like my stereo microscope because it provide binocular vision and has variable zoom, which I find handy.