Part I: Sight beyond limits: how our limited vision sparked a scientific, technological and social revolution

Nature gave us stereoscopic sight and the ability to see colour but forgot to ensure our eyes did not deteriorate as we aged or developed defects

‘Science has been very lavish in the benefits she has conferred on mankind…and…none is of more importance than the observation that a biconvex lens apparently increases the size of the object viewed through it. On this observation rests the invention of a large number of optical instruments, including the spectacles or eyeglasses with which to-day we ar…