The eyes of our ancestors evolved millions of years prior to our transition from land to sea which, during a period in which oxygen was low and they were inclined to surface for air, perhaps allowed them to see a landscape of possibility.
Once they were on land the range at which assessments could be made was expanded enormously and it was now advantageous to be able to plan and map out possibilities when taking action. With this fitness incentive the organisms would have evolved to “imagine” possible futures, and even in some sense to become self aware. Even within unnaturally clear water the distance at which an animal can see ahead is incredibly restricted as compared to through air due to the refraction of light, and as such aquatic life wouldn’t have required the hippocampal formation necessary to evolve the ability to plan ahead.