as far as the eye can see; everywhere one looks
Literary or formal expression describing a vast, unobstructed view. Often used in descriptive or poetic contexts.
From the mountaintop, a green carpet stretched as far as the eye could see.
Everywhere one looked, the town had been reduced to a burnt-out field.
bleak and desolate scene; all nature looking forlorn
desolate scene as far as the eye can see; all nature bleak and forlorn
Compound of 満 (full, fill) and 目 (eye), literally 'full to the eye'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the meaning is transparent from the kanji.