Contrast is important for many people who are not blind but who have vision that is less than perfect. People who live a normal lifespan get Presbyopia which means you can’t have everything perfectly focused at all distances.

I set the design rules for my three sided cards so that people don’t need to hold them close in order to read the text. You can trade off contrast vs sharpness in terms of ease of perception.

Given the vast variation of screens and situations in where you might view a print the ideal image is meaningful when viewed in a poor situation, but reveals rich depth under good viewing situations.