Eyepatch
An eyepatch is a small patch, usually of black cloth, that is worn in front of one eye and usually attached around the head by an elastic band or by a string. It is often worn by people to cover a lost or injured eye, but it also has a therapeutic use in children for the treatment of amblyopia (lazy eye). (See orthoptics and vision therapy.)
History
In the years before advanced medicine and surgery, eyepatches were common. They were particularly prevalent among members of dangerous occupations, such as pirates and blacksmiths. Today, with prosthetic eyes increasingly accessible, eyepatches are no longer common.
Sailors
One popular belief is that eye patches may have had a more practical purpose for sailors and pilots. According to the myth, sailors (stereotyped by the eye-patch-wearing pirate) who often went above and below deck, used eye patches to have one eye adjusted for the top deck and the other eye already adjusted for the darkness when suddenly going below deck. The strong sunlight while above deck on an oceangoing vessel could require minutes of adjustment to the dim lighting below deck. With virtually no light sources below deck, sailors would have to rely heavily upon their eyes to adjust. In the critical moments of modifying the rigging, navigating, and especially during battle, those minutes were too precious. A simple switch of the patch from one eye to the other saved time and was more convenient than being temporarily blinded when going between decks. This was deemed plausible on the January 17, 2007 episode of Mythbusters. Eye patches are also commonly used by those in some western cultures who are symbolically unclean, primarily due to an genetic or infectious disease such as leprosy or AIDS.
Pilots
Similarly, pilots at one time would also do the same, when flying at night over brightly lit cities, so that one eye could look out, and the other would be adjusted for the dim lighting of the cockpit to read unlit instruments and maps. When flashlights with red bulbs, backlit instruments, and other modern instruments came along, that no longer was necessary, just as boats and ships evolving into being well lit made eye patches a thing of the past for most boating.
Sprite Joke
In spriting, there is a small joke about characters wearing eyepatches, that being that the eyepatch will anatomically switch sides on the face if the character's sprite is flipped. For example, if there was a sprite of a pirate wearing an eyepatch facing the right, and the eyepatch was on his right eye, and then the sprite was flipped to face the left, the eyepatch would now be on the pirate's left eye. Although this can be corrected with editing, mostly (especially in sprite comics) this is ignored, and the eyepatch is claimed to be 'magic'.
Famous eyepatch-wearers
- Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (Russian Field Marshal)
- Moshe Dayan (Israeli military leader and politician)
- Jan Zizka (Czech general and Hussite leader)
- Jan Syrový (Czechoslovak general and polictian)
- Dr. Wolfgang Von Bushwickin the Barbarian Mother Funky Stay High Dollar Billstir
- Gabrielle
- Momus
- John Ford
- Santiago Pavlovic
- Kid Blink (newsboy strike leader; may or may not have been blind in his left eye)
- Raoul Walsh
- André De Toth
- James Joyce (he was known to wear one even though he never lost an eye)
- Wiley Post
- Andrew Vachss
- Slick Rick
- Yagyu Jubei
- Dale Chihuly
- Date Masamune
- Mother Angelica
- Xiahou Dun
- Jamey Sheridan (temporarily, during treatment for Bell's palsy
- Laura Morrow (Due to failed laser eye surgery)
Fictional eyepatch-wearers
- Bazooka Joe (Bazooka (chewing gum) comic strip main character)
- Beatrix (Final Fantasy IX villain)
- Captain Pip Bernadette of the Hellsing manga
- Big Boss, aka Naked Snake (Metal Gear hero/villain)
- Fuhrer King Bradley (Fullmetal Alchemist character)
- General Chang (played by Christopher Plummer in Star Trek VI)
- Chris the Ninja Pirate - from Weebl and Bob
- Rooster Cogburn (played by John Wayne in True Grit)
- Captain Francesca 'Franky' Cook (played by Angelina Jolie in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow)
- Fancy Crane (Passions; following a 2006 eye injury)
- Jesse Custer (Preacher main character)
- Dalton (Chrono Trigger)
- Dangermouse
- Dee (Preacher character)
- Elle Driver (Kill Bill villainess)
- Nick Fury (Marvel Comics superhero)
- Monica Geller (Friends Series 4 Episode 8)
- Gippal (Final Fantasy X-2 character)
- The "Man in the Hathaway Shirt" [advertising campaign of the 1950s]
- Jarlaxle (Forgotten Realms dark elf rogue)
- Steve Johnson (Days of our Lives)
- Katsuichi (Usagi Yojimbo character)
- Deunan Knute (Appleseed Main Character)
- Emilio Largo (James Bond villain)
- Maddox- (when in his Pirate picture, and his drawings)
- Mikhail Bakunin (A character on the TV show Lost)
- Zakuro Mitsukai (Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan)
- Wolf O'Donnell (Star Fox villain)
- Patchy the Pirate (Spongebob Squarepants)
- Snake Plissken (Escape From New York protagonist)
- Random Hero (Haggard: The Movie character)
- Rabi/Ravi (D.Gray-man character)
- Yagyu Retsudo (Lone Wolf and Cub main villain)
- Sagat (Street Fighter character)
- Saito (Ghost in the Shell character)
- Ramon (King of Fighters character)
- Phil Ken Sebben (Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law character)
- Piotr Skut – Estonian aeroplane pilot in The Adventures of Tintin
- Solidus Snake (Metal Gear villain)
- Lans Tartare (Tactics Ogre villain)
- Big Dan Teague (Oh Brother, Where Art Thou character)
- Col. Saul Tigh (Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series))
- Captain Typho (Star Wars character)
- Umanosuke (Samurai Champloo character)
- Akito/Agito Wanijima (from "Air Gear")
- Xigbar (Kingdom Hearts II)
- Kenpachi Zaraki (Bleach character)
- Zatch (Surf Ninjas Character)
- Molotov Cocktease and Master Billy Quizboy (from The Venture Bros.)
- Number Two (Austin Powers movies)
- Captain Ron (Kurt Russell in the movie Captain Ron)
- Xander Harris (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
- Rose Wilson,Ravager (Teen Titans)
- Takuma Fudo (GetbackerS)