An eyepatch is a small patch that is worn in front of one

eye Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...

. It may be a cloth patch attached around the head by an elastic band or by a string, an adhesive bandage, or a plastic device which is clipped to a pair of glasses. 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 Amblyopia, also called lazy eye, is a disorder of sight in which the brain fails to fully process input from one eye and over time favors the other eye. It results in decreased vision in an eye that typically appears normal in other aspects. Amb ...

. Eyepatches used to block light while sleeping are referred to as a sleep mask. An eyepad or eye pad is a soft medical dressing that can be applied over an eye to protect it. It is not necessarily the same as an eyepatch.

History

In the years before advanced medicine and surgery, eyepatches were common for people who had a lost or injured eye. They were particularly prevalent among members of dangerous occupations, such as soldiers and sailors who could lose an eye in battle. While stereotypically associated with pirates, there is no evidence to suggest the historical accuracy of eye patch wearing pirates before several popular novels of the 19th century (see Association with pirates below).

Medical uses

Amblyopia

Eye patching is used in the orthoptic management of children at risk of lazy eye (

), especially strabismic or anisometropic amblyopia. These conditions can cause visual suppression of areas of the dissimilar imagesFinal Activity and Management Report Summary - SVS (Strabismus and visual suppression)
CORDIS by the brain such as to avoid

diplopia Diplopia is the simultaneous perception of two images of a single object that may be displaced horizontally or vertically in relation to each other. Also called double vision, it is a loss of visual focus under regular conditions, and is often ...

, resulting in a loss of visual acuity in the suppressed eye and in extreme cases in blindness in an otherwise functional eye. Patching the good eye forces the amblyopic eye to function, thereby causing vision in that eye to be retained. It is important to perform "near activities" (such as reading or handiwork) when patched, thereby exercising active, attentive vision. A study provided evidence that children treated for amblyopia with eye patching had lower self-perception of social acceptance. To prevent a child from being socially marginalized by their peers due to wearing an eye patch, atropine eye drops may be used instead. This induces temporary blurring in the treated eye. It has been pointed out that the penalization of one eye by means of patching or atropine drops does not provide the necessary conditions to develop or improve

binocular vision In biology, binocular vision is a type of vision in which an animal has two eyes capable of facing the same direction to perceive a single three-dimensional image of its surroundings. Binocular vision does not typically refer to vision where an ...

. Recently, efforts have been made to propose alternative treatments of amblyopia that do allow for the improvement of binocular sight, for example, using binasal occlusion or partially frosted spectacles in place of any eye patch, using alternating occlusion goggles or using methods of perceptual learning based on video games or virtual reality games for enhancing binocular vision. A 2014 Cochrane Review sought to determine the effectiveness of occlusion treatment on patients with sensory deprivation amblyopia, however no trials were found eligible to be included in the review. However, it is suggested that good outcomes from occlusion treatment for sensory deprivation amblyopia rely on compliance with the treatment.

Extraocular muscle palsy

To initially relieve double vision (

) caused by an extra-ocular muscle palsy, an eye care professional may recommend using an eyepatch. This can help to relieve the dizziness, vertigo and nausea that are associated with this form of double vision.O'Sullivan, S.B & Schmitz, T.J. (2007). Physical Rehabilitation. Philadelphia, PA: Davis. .

Use by aircraft pilots

Aircraft pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they ...

s used an eye patch, or close one eye to preserve night vision when there was disparity in the light intensity within or outside their aircraft, such as 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. Some military pilots have worn a lead-lined or gold-lined eyepatch, to protect against blindness in both eyes, in the event of a

nuclear blast Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label mov ...

laser weapon A laser weapon is a directed-energy weapon based on lasers. After decades of R&D, directed-energy weapons including lasers are still at the experimental stage and it remains to be seen if or when they will be deployed as practical, high-perfo ...

attack. Eyepatches are not currently used by military personnel; modern technology has provided an array of other means to preserve and enhance night vision, including red-light and low-level white lights, and

night vision device A night-vision device (NVD), also known as a night optical/observation device (NOD), night-vision goggle (NVG), is an optoelectronic device that allows visualization of images in low levels of light, improving the user's night vision. The de ...

Association with pirates

Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalahimah, once the most popular pirate in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...

, was also the first known to wear an eyepatch after losing an eye in battle. Ex-sailors, ashore, were sometimes portrayed as having an eyepatch to cover the loss of an eye. Medical texts have referred to the eye patch as a "pirate's patch" and, writing in the Minnesota Academy of Sciences Journal in 1934, Charles Sheard of the Mayo foundation pointed out that by "wearing a patch (The pirate's patch) over one eye, it will keep the covered eye in a state of readiness and adaptation for night vision". This technique was explored during WWII by institutes such as the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. The proposal that pirates may have worn an eyepatch so that one eye would be pre-adjusted to below-deck darkness was tested in an episode of ''

MythBusters ''MythBusters'' is a science entertainment television program, developed by Peter Rees and produced by Australia's Beyond Television Productions. The series premiered on the Discovery Channel on January 23, 2003. It was broadcast internation ...

'' in 2007 and found to be plausible, but without any recorded historical precedent.MythBusters, episode 71
/ref>

Notable wearers

* Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart
' National Portrait Gallery, London, National Portrait Gallery'' * Ana de Mendoza *

André De Toth Endre Antal Miksa DeToth, better known as Andre de Toth (born Endre Antal Mihály Tóth; May 15, 1913 – October 27, 2002), was a Hungarian-American film director, born and raised in Makó, Austria-Hungary. He directed the 3D film ''House o ...

* Andrew Vachss * Barbara Boggs Sigmund *

Bobby Helms Robert Lee Helms (August 15, 1933 – June 19, 1997) was an American country singer, who is best remembered for his 1957 Christmas hit " Jingle Bell Rock". Additionally, he had two other hit records from that year: " Fraulein" and " My Special A ...

Bruce Peterson Bruce A. Peterson (May 23, 1933 – May 1, 2006) was an American aeronautical engineer, and test pilot for NASA. Biography Early life and education Peterson was born on May 23, 1933. A native of Washburn, North Dakota, he attended the Univer ...

* Bushwick BillOur favorite eyepatch heroes
Maxim magazine * Charles H. Bonesteel III *

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* Dale D. Myers *

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.Sohachi Yamaoka, ''Date Masamune''. *

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Great Moments in Eye Patches
'

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* Jack Coggins *

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* Jan Zizka * Jason Trost *

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* José Millán Astray * Lewis Williams Douglas *

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* María de Villota *

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* Martin Bayerle * Maxie Anderson * Momus *

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* Nick Popaditch * Nicolas-Jacques Conté * Pete Burns * Peter Gatien * Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalahimah *

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* Ray Sawyer *

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* Rich Williams * Ron Hamilton * Sammy Davis Jr. * Sheila Gish *

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Weir, ''Henry VIII'', p. 262. *

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* Victor Page *

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In fiction

An eyepatch can be used in fiction to lend an additional dimension to a character, an air of mystery or general '' je ne sais quoi''. * Vanica Zogratis ( Black Clover) * The Demoman (

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) *

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(

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) * Ultimate Nick Fury (

) *

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(

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) * Nick Fury Jr (

) * Aemond "One-Eye" Targaryen (''

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'') *

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('' The Walking Dead'') *

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* General Chang ('' Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country'') * Rooster Cogburn * Asuka Langley Shikinami (''

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'') * Elle Driver ( Kill Bill: Volume 1) * Kenpachi Zaraki ('' Bleach'') * Goro Majima (''

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* Oberst Radl ('' The Eagle Has Landed'') * Ribouldingue from '' Les Pieds Nickelés'' * Ziggy Stardust *

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* Big Dan Teague (''

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) * Undyne (

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) *

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(

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) * Odin (

) * Modo (

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'')

References

External links

International Orthoptic Association
{{Pirates Eyewear Ophthalmology Medical equipment Maritime culture