Sight for sore eyes

A very old expression and means “a very welcome sight,” especially one that is unexpected, such as the sudden appearance of an old friend. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs gives as an example this quotation from a book published in 1836: “What a sight for sore eyes it would be to see Garrick act.” In Jonathan Swift’s “Polite Conversation” (1736) he wrote: The sight of you is good for sore eyes.”