system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Has vision deteriorated significantly with advancements, or could most full grown adults just not see well before the 1700s?

Virtually every friend and family member I have has corrected vision. Mine's not horrible, but I couldn't perform simple functions without correction. Is this a new phenomenon, or did people just wander around with blurry vision?
gpt
Sight deficiencies are not a lot more common today than historically. However, you do have to keep in mind that throughout history and throughout most of the world, people did not read, and in fact mostly did farm labor. That removes quite a lot of the need for glasses in the first place.