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Have you ever wondered how people with specific eye errors see the world? Philip Barlow, a Cape Town-based artist, has created a series of oil paintings that vividly shows the struggle of those who have myopia or nearsightedness, the most common refractive eyesight error.

At first glance, Barlow’s paintings look like photographs that are out of focus. But these realistic paintings perfectly portray the blurred effect that nearsighted people see when they take off their glasses, and let those with normal eye vision understand what it’s like to live with this condition. Of course, not only these colorful paintings will scratch that itch of curiosity, but they are also highly aesthetically pleasing and really are the modern art pieces that you've never seen before.

Scroll down to see the blurry-eyed realistic artworks for yourself.

More info: Instagram

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Philip Barlow Oil Paintings

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athornedrose
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

this!! i can never explain to sighted people how the streetlights/traffic lights etc look!

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Philip Barlow Oil Paintings

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Whawhawhatsis
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These paintings are really gorgeous just as artworks, especially the ones like this one where the subjects are so indistinct it's hard to tell what they even are. Besides beautiful art!

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Philip Barlow Oil Paintings

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GFSTaylor
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The artist tends to overdo the circular blobs to indicate lights and reflections. There are just too many of them in some pictures and the reflections on water are not so uniformly round as depicted in these pics. In the this picture, the blobs appear to be in the foreground, and look like raindrops on a camera lens. I cannot focus on anything more than about five inches past the end of my nose. It's an interesting idea though, these pics.

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Philip Barlow Oil Paintings

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Fiona Messenger
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pretty close to my vision. It looks pretty like this, but annoying in bright sunlight or if you're trying to find someone.

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Philip Barlow Oil Paintings

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Zahida Perveen
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nd then my friends ask: Why didn't you stop when saw me that morning?

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Philip Barlow Oil Paintings

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Philip Barlow Oil Paintings

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Dian Ella Lillie
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wear specs. Sadly, I would be chuffed to see as well as is depicted in these paintings. Without my glasses everything is just a blur of unrecognisable shapes... :-(

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Philip Barlow Oil Paintings

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Philip Barlow Oil Paintings

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Philip Barlow Oil Paintings

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Philip Barlow Oil Paintings

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Philip Barlow Oil Paintings

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Philip Barlow Oil Paintings

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Ritchard Cubbon
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'd trade my vision for a world in which it is sunny all the time.

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