In "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco, Brother William's corrective lens are seen as magical in ~1325 A.D. What would've my life been like with poor (20/700), but not blind, vision?

by trol_de_rol

I know The Name of the Rose isn't an actual history of the events of 14th century Benedictine monasteries or anything, but the fact that Brother William's lens are seen as magical got me thinking.

What would've been like for me:

(A) before corrective lens were available, (or) (B) once corrective lens were available, but I still couldn't afford them?

How would poor vision (but not blindness!) affect my life and options, as opposed to life blind back then?

eepithst

A similar question has been asked here a few years ago by /u/ARedHouseOverYonder. It isn't exactly what you are looking for but the replies might still give you some insights.