Eyepatch

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A patient wearing a protective cloth eyepatch following surgery

An eyepatch is a small patch that is worn in front of one eye. It may be a cloth patch attached around the head by an elastic band or by a string, or an adhesive bandage. 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. (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 sailors^{[citation needed]} and blacksmiths^{[citation needed]}. Sailors would also wear them over one eye above deck and then switch it over in order to be able to see in the dark below deck. David Bowie made it a fashion statement in 1972.

Today, with prosthetic eyes increasingly accessible, eyepatches are no longer common^{[citation needed]}.

Sailors

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A stereotypical pirate, sporting the requisite eyepatch

Eye patches may have had a more practical purpose for sailors and pilots.

Sailors (stereotyped by the eye-patch-wearing pirate) who often went above and below deck, might have 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 might have saved time when going between decks^{[citation needed]}. ^[1]

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.

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 or laser weapon attack.^[2][3][4]

Eyecare Treatment

Amblyopia

A child wearing an adhesive eyepatch to correct amblyopia

Eye patching is used in the orthoptic management^[5] of children at risk of amblyopia (lazy eye), especially strabismic or anisometropic^[6] amblyopia.

These conditions can cause visual suppression of the dissimilar images by the brain, resulting in blindness in an otherwise functional eye.

By patching the good eye, the amblyopic eye is forced to function, causing vision to be retained.

Extraocular muscle palsy

To initially relieve double vision (diplopia) caused by an extraocular muscle palsy, an eye care professional may recommend that they use an eyepatch. This can help to relieve the dizzyness, veritgo and nausea that are associated with this form of double vision.

Notable eyepatch-wearers

• Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalahimah (Arab pirate)
• José Millán Astray
• David Bowie (British singer)
• Pete Burns (Leader sing of British New Wave band, Dead or Alive)
• Bushwick Bill (Rap singer with the Geto Boys)
• Dale Chihuly
• Marie Colvin (War journalist)
• Xiahou Dun
• Dick Curless
• Sammy Davis Jr.
• Moshe Dayan (Israeli military leader and politician)
• André De Toth
• Amadeus Hellequin (Shaman, healer and writer)
• John Ford
• Gabrielle
• Ron Hamilton
• Bobby Helms
• James Joyce (he was known to wear one even though he never lost an eye)
• Yagyu Jubei
• Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (Russian Field Marshal)
• George Maciunas
• Jean-Marie Le Pen (French far-right politician, lost his left eye in a brawl)
• Date Masamune
• Momus
• Mother Angelica
• Nivek Ogre, singer of Skinny Puppy
• Victor Page
• Wiley Post
• Tegan Quin (of Tegan and Sara)
• Nicholas Ray
• Ray Sawyer, lead vocalist for Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show
• Barbara Boggs Sigmund
• Slick Rick
• Claus von Stauffenberg
• Jan Syrový (Czechoslovak general and polictian)
• Andrew Vachss
• Sonia Velasquez
• Raoul Walsh
• Rich Williams, Kansas guitarist
• Jan Zizka (Czech general and Hussite leader)
• Luís de Camões (Portuguese writer)
• Tuomas Pietiäinen (Finnish columnist)
• Rebecca Eads

Fictional eyepatch-wearers

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• Kei a.k.a. Cristo (Cristo ~Orange-Eyed Messiah (manga))
• Ciel Phantomhive Kuroshitsuji
• Dr. Serizawa (Gojira [1954] and the 1956 Amercanized version titled Godzilla, King of the Monsters!)
• Miss Astrid, from the burlesque show The Va Va Voom Room (actrss Katherine Valentine)
• The Red Bamboo Commander in Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster.
• Antoine, an Agent of the Upright Citizens Brigade
• King Gorneesh of the Duloks Ewoks TV series
• Briar Patch Charmkins
• Dr. Kiriko, the 'rival' of the namesake main character of Black Jack (Manga)
• Lockon Stratos, Gundam pilot from Gundam 00
• Snake Plissken (Escape from New York and Escape from L.A. protagonist)
• Deathstroke A fictional character, a supervillain and sometime anti-hero in the DC Comics Universe.
• Jesse Custer (Preacher main character)
• Man from Estwyck - Survivor of a Wendol attack in the movie The 13th Warrior
• Nao Yuuki manga/anime character from My-HiME
• Lucia Nahashi manga/anime character from Venus Versus Virus
• Captain Harlock manga/anime character appearing in various works by Leiji Matsumoto
• Hortense Toomey (Earthly Powers sister of main character)
• Natsuo Sagan (Loveless (manga))
• The Wicked Witch of the West (Land of Oz villain)
• Demian Martinez Guerra (Mundo de Fieras villain)
• Bazooka Joe (Bazooka (chewing gum) comic strip main character)
• Beatrix (Final Fantasy IX character)
• Captain Pip Bernadette of the Hellsing manga
• Big Boss, aka Naked Snake (a central character in the Metal Gear series)
• Sally Brown in Peanuts wore one to treat amblyopia.
• Fuhrer King Bradley (Fullmetal Alchemist character)
• General Chang (played by Christopher Plummer in Star Trek VI)
• Gotrek Gurnisson (Protagonist of the Gotrek and Felix novels by William King and Nathan Long, set in the Warhammer Fantasy universe)
• Rooster Cogburn (played by John Wayne in True Grit and Rooster Cogburn)
• Captain Francesca 'Franky' Cook (played by Angelina Jolie in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow)
• Fancy Crane (Passions; following a 2006 eye injury)
• Dalton (Chrono Trigger)
• Dangermouse
• Chihiro (Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two)
• Dee (Preacher character)
• Elle Driver (Kill Bill villainess)
• Nick Fury (Marvel Comics superhero)
• Monica Geller (Friends, "The One with Chandler in a Box")
• Fujin (Final Fantasy VIII character)
• Gippal (Final Fantasy X-2 character)
• The "Man in the Hathaway Shirt" (advertising campaign of the 1950s)
• "Wildcat" Chris Harris (currently wearing an eyepatch in kayfabe as part of his character in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling)
• Jarlaxle (Forgotten Realms dark elf rogue)
• Steve "Patch" Johnson (Days of our Lives)
• Katsuichi (Usagi Yojimbo character)
• Deunan Knute (Appleseed Main Character)
• Emilio Largo (James Bond villain)
• 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)
• Seamus (Family Guy character)
• Random Hero (Haggard: The Movie character)
• Lavi (D.Gray-man character)
• Commander Red (Dragon Ball 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 Solid 2 antagonist)
• Lans Tartare (Tactics Ogre villain)
• Big Dan Teague (O 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)
• Nnoitra Jiruga (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)
• Commandant Spangler (Malcolm in the Middle)
• Sven Vollfied from Black Cat
• Matthew from The Law of Ueki
• Nadine Hurley (Twin Peaks)
• Vernon Schillinger Oz (TV series)
• Lily Charles from Pushing Daisies
• Halloween Jack (David Bowie alter ego)
• Barasuisho ( Rozen Maiden Träumend )
• Kirakishou ( Rozen Maiden Träumend )
• Hatake Kakashi (Naruto Manga)
• Russel (Happy Tree Friends)
• Fay D. Flourite (from Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle)
• Shin Natsume (Tenjho Tenge)
• Zegram from Rogue Galaxy*
• Matthew Taylor Shoegazing musician*
• Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (note that this eyepatch was a cybernetic surveillance and data processing tool, not a necessity; Snake still had two functioning eyes, and could remove the eyepatch at will)
• Ryomou Shimei in Ikki Tousen
• Mio Sakamoto in Strike Witches
• Dr. Eyepatch (Super Milk Chan)
• The Demoman from Valve's Team Fortress 2
• General Roy Mustang (Fullmetal Alchemist character) in the last episode of the anime series and in the movie, Conqueror of Shamballa.
• Buck (eyepatch is a leaf ("Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs")

See also

• Orthoptist
• Haploscope
• Diplopia
• Binocular vision
• Stereopsis

External links

• International Orthoptic Association

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Eyepatch

Look up eyepatch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.