I'm no expert in this matter, but a visual, although better than nothing, will only tell you so much. And I think you'll be only able to tell only if there is extreme wobble/wear. Inspecting the oil filter for magnetic metallic flakes is probably going to tell you more too...
I have a factory reman 2006 3.2 with the big bearing and can not replace it easily, so I pulled the outer seal for better lubrication. Then again, I drive that car hard, and I don't worry too much about it. 
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2002 Boxster S - NHP 200 Cell Headers,test pipes,Borla CatBack,Competition Plenum,74 mm TB, EVOMS Tune,Tarett UDP,Eibach Swaybars,BIlstein PSS9s,TuneRS rear toe links,wheel studs,15 mm wheel spacers on all 4,EBC yellow stuff pads,Sebro rotors, EBS oil baffles,160 deg Thermostat,2 quart Accusump,full filtration remote oil filter,rad fan switch,custom gauge/switch plate, Race Capture data logging, 90K miles
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