Thought of the Day 03.03.10

My recent visit to the optometrist naturally got me thinking about vision and glasses.

For most of human history, people have had vision defects. Perhaps short lifespans or the lack of experts to quantify the severity of their impairment served to keep them from knowing just how bad the problem was. But then again, even if they knew they had bad eyesight, what could be done? The lack of any solution sometimes makes it easier to avoid even becoming aware of a handicap, and certainly makes it easier to accept it if you are aware.

Well, eventually, someone discovered how to make glass into lenses and assemble them into a frame. (Ben Franklin made bifocals from existing glasses about 500 years after Salvino D’Armate made the first modern glasses.) But only the rich had access and they were still fairly primitive. Then, in this past century, the quality and individuality of them leapt forward even as they became so common that virtually everyone with eye problems now has glasses. I can actually purchase a basic pair for one dollar.

From non-existent, to rough and rare, to high quality and cheap, to virtually free. This is the natural progression of any technology, an illustration of how our quality of life can be significantly higher despite our personal wealth seeming quite ordinary.