View distance can be changed with /viewdistance. Default is Normal.
Change is applied immediately, however you might need to re-login if you experience glitches.
Note that this only affects what the server is sending you, the client will still cache
Client settings
| Setting |
Radius |
w/ OptiFine |
| Tiny |
2 chunks |
6 chunks |
| Short |
4 chunks |
12 chunks |
| Normal |
8 chunks |
24 chunks |
| Far |
16 chunks |
32 chunks |