Peter Böhm's looking very cyborg there:

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2016/02/evolution-eyes/img...

If the eye is so amazing, how come nearly everyone needs glasses?

Eyes are basically video cameras made of jello. They're amazing in the sense that, given their constraints, they work at all.

As a side note, I suspect brains are about as good at thinking as eyes are at seeing.

A substantial portion of the need for glasses is caused by kids not getting enough time outdoors. Apparently some mix of very bright light exposure and long-distance focusing is required for proper eye development. (Do a google scholar search for "myopia light exposure" for the relevant studies. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=myopia+outdoor+children...)

I think "need" is a strong word. I have 20/70 (maybe worse) vision, but I am fully able to do most any normal task. I am even a better shot with a gun than most of my friends, with their contacts & lasic. Yes, everything is a blur, meaning I cannot recognize faces until ~30ft, but I can recognize if it is a person, a bear, or a car. Very few things are impacted by my poor vision.

I do occasionally wear contacts, so I am aware of the advantages of having better than 20/15 vision, I just usually do not require that level of clarity.

Well, we need a higher visual acuity today then just a few decades ago. To tell the difference between lowercase l and uppercase I on our tiny screens if nothing else. So small errors in eye sight play a bigger role hence more ppl with glasses.