sight

I had a strange experience with my sense of sight a couple of years back, and I've repeated the event occasionally since then with similar results.

I was walking on a sidewalk, I was quite tired and had my eyes fixed on the horizon and somewhat unfocussed. I thought I saw something wiggle on the sidewalk, so I looked down. There was nothing there. I continued, looking back at the horizon, and I saw the same thing again. The sidewalk was one of those that was made of large square slabs, concrete I guess. The seam between the slab in front of me and the one in front of that seemed to shimmer. I kept my eyes pointed horizontally, and the effect got more noticable the closer I walked to it. After a few steps, the seam left my field of vision, but I saw the same thing happening to the seam in front of it. If I looked down, the illusion disappeared, but if I stared at the horizon all the time I could see it. I kept my eyes up, and stopped. The seams stopped wriggling too. I rocked back and forth on my feet, the ripples moved when I moved.

I always find it an interesting sensation when I can directly detect the limitations of my senses - like finding my blind spot, or putting one hand in hot water and the other in cold water for a while then putting both in warm water. I think in this situation, either I was seeing irregularities in the shape of my retina, or I was seeing aliasing as a result of the limited resolution of the eye.

Sight (?), n. [OE. sight, sit, siht, AS. siht, gesiht, gesih, gesieh, gesyh; akin to D. gezicht, G. sicht, gesicht, Dan. sigte, Sw. sigt, from the root of E. see. See See, v. t.]

1.

The act of seeing; perception of objects by the eye; view; as, to gain sight of land.

A cloud received him out of their sight.
Acts. i. 9.

2.

The power of seeing; the faculty of vision, or of perceiving objects by the instrumentality of the eyes.

Thy sight is young,
And thou shalt read when mine begin to dazzle.
Shak.

O loss of sight, of thee I most complain!
Milton.

3.

The state of admitting unobstructed vision; visibility; open view; region which the eye at one time surveys; space through which the power of vision extends; as, an object within sight.

4.

A spectacle; a view; a show; something worth seeing.

Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
Ex. iii. 3.

They never saw a sight so fair.
Spenser.

5.

The instrument of seeing; the eye.

Why cloud they not their sights?
Shak.

6.

Inspection; examination; as, a letter intended for the sight of only one person.

7.

Mental view; opinion; judgment; as, in their sight it was harmless.

Wake.

That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
Luke xvi. 15.

8.

A small aperture through which objects are to be seen, and by which their direction is settled or ascertained; as, the sight of a quadrant.

Their eyes of fire sparking through sights of steel.
Shak.

9.

A small piece of metal, fixed or movable, on the breech, muzzle, center, or trunnion of a gun, or on the breech and the muzzle of a rifle, pistol, etc., by means of which the eye is guided in aiming.

Farrow.

10.

In a drawing, picture, etc., that part of the surface, as of paper or canvas, which is within the frame or the border or margin. In a frame or the like, the open space, the opening.

11.

A great number, quantity, or sum; as, a sight of money.

⇒ Sight in this last sense was formerly employed in the best usage. "A sight of lawyers."

Latimer.

A wonder sight of flowers.
Gower.

At sight, as soon as seen, or presented to sight; as, a draft payable at sight: to read Greek at sight; to shoot a person at sight. -- Front sight Firearms, the sight nearest the muzzle. -- Open sight. Firearms (a) A front sight through which the objects aimed at may be seen, in distinction from one that hides the object. (b) A rear sight having an open notch instead of an aperture. -- Peep sight, Rear sight. See under Peep, and Rear. -- Sight draft, an order, or bill of exchange, directing the payment of money at sight. -- To take sight, to take aim; to look for the purpose of directing a piece of artillery, or the like.

Syn. -- Vision; view; show; spectacle; representation; exhibition.

© Webster 1913.

Sight (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sighted; p. pr. & vb. n. Sighting.]

1.

To get sight of; to see; as, to sight land; to sight a wreck.

Kane.

2.

To look at through a sight; to see accurately; as, to sight an object, as a star.

3.

To apply sights to; to adjust the sights of; also, to give the proper elevation and direction to by means of a sight; as, to sight a rifle or a cannon.

© Webster 1913.

Sight, v. i. Mil.

To take aim by a sight.

© Webster 1913.