Wow, I can't believe that it actually worked.

Hey Im Crazygirl81395. I know I can't beleive that the myth was confirmed. Wasn't funny when Adam and Jamie were doing the test with the eye that was adjusted with daylight? It was hilarius!!!

[quote]I know I can't beleive that the myth was confirmed.[/quote]

Not confirmed.

Plausible.

[quote]Not confirmed.

Plausible.[/quote]


Technically, true. Plausible because there is no historical reference that pirates wore eye patches for this purpose. But the the fact that your low-light vision can be improved by an eye patch, that's confirmed.

[quote]Plausible because there is no historical reference that pirates wore eye patches for this purpose. But the the fact that your low-light vision can be improved by an eye patch, that's confirmed.[/quote]

Yup. I was refering specifically to the myth that the pirates did, in fact, do this. They could have, but there's no evidence that they did.

I know! What I did after I saw it was I grabbed a rag and held it over my eye and set up an obstical course the best I could with junk in my room, waited until one eye was thoroughly adjusted to light and the other to dark, and went in. With the light adjusted eye exposed I to stumbled around, In Grants words "like and idiot" and fell countless times. Then I went out, switched the rag, and went in again with the noctournal eye, and was exactly like Adam said, "like night and day". It's really cool! I'm gonna try it with a friend of mine some time soon. It is definetly plausible to say the least. And a lot of fun at that, but then again I didn't have to dodge falling sandbags, (they were sandbags, weren't they?)

[quote]Plausible because there is no historical reference that pirates wore eye patches for this purpose. But the the fact that your low-light vision can be improved by an eye patch, that's confirmed.[/quote]

Except they failed to mention that ON THE AIR. No one said, "We just don't know if pirates actually wore patches for this effect."

Not only did Kari have physical evidence from the ophthalmologist, not only is this simply tested at your home (try walking from a lit bathroom into a darkened hall); Jaime and Adam's subjective experiences were some of the most positive results they have ever experienced on this show! Adam said "the third test proved it hands down... we nailed this one." And then there was a cut to Grant, Kari and Tory calling the myth plausible. Huh? What? Did I miss something? It's confirmed! If you're going to call something plausible you need to say what changes those positive results to plausible.

If the hinge-pin of this myth was whether or not pirates (or any sailor for that matter) wore patches over functioning eyes, then why didn't anyone go to see an expert on pirates or clothing during that time period? It would seem that the patch could also be useful in medieval times when moving from daylight into a poorly lit castle. Someone needs to look for the origination of the use of the patch on land as well as sea. Is a pirate, most likely smelly, dirty, and without much care for social acceptance, more likely to wear a patch to cover a wound or to get a physical advantage over another person?

i hear that pilots also wore eye patches for similar reasons. I am tlaking WWi type pilots BTW. They would have a map light, then at night they would use the eye patch to see better.

They aren't pirates, but eclipse chasers (people who travel all around the world to view total solar eclipses) have been known to wear eye patches for the same reason. They wear the patch on one eye to view the partial phases, and then switch to the other eye at totality to be able to see more of the corona with the dark-adjusted eye.

In my opinion, the eyepatch was more likely worn to avoid ridicule. For some time now, I have done something similar, except much simpler. When entering a movie theater lobby, I keep one eye closed. This makes entering the darkened theater itself much easier. But it makes you look like Popeye, which may not have been desireable for hardened pirates, even though he was a famous sailor.

On a more serious note, supposedly, submarine officer wore sunglasses during normal operating times, in order to have better vision during reduced light periods.

But, What would have been the results if the pirate just flipped the patch up? Would the sunny eye overpower the shady eye? Or could you selectively force the vision to the shady eye? Seems we missed a step in the study....

Ask any astronomer about night vision...


Reminds me of these new "white light" (Blue actually) car headlights that help you see better at night.

Of course they help you see better, they're brighter, and in a frequency your eye is more sensitive to (blue vs yellow/red)...

Only problem is:

You're freaking BLINDING the driver coming the other way... so while YOU can see better, the guy coming at you now can't see at all and will probably ram into you head on...

Sheesh...

While I don't know if pirates ever wore the eye patches to preserve low-light vision. I knew the outcome of the challenge beforehand. Police officers are taught in the academy to close their master eye when dispatched to a low light site, like a bar or theater, then to open it when they enter the place. This allows them to see, and not be blinded when going from full sun to low light. I am a former police officer, so I know about this tip from the Patrol Procedures section.

The effect of patching on eye is confirmed in the episode. however the myth is just that a myth. In those days depth vision was extremely important to staying alive, most people who damaged one eye and couldn't see out of it were removed from the ship at the earliest opportunity. Sometimes when a person had a lot of knowledge that was useful, like a senior officer in a naval vessel, then they could stay aboard but could not be safely trusted to work in the rigging - depth perception being out could mean a missed grip or step.

The reason people wore eye patches at all in those days were one of two things.

1. the damage was so bad the eye was horrible to look at and they covered it up so as not to frighten other people too much, any coloured cloth was used.

2. The eye was slightly damaged but the damaged retina was causing vision problem so they covered the eye to help them to focus better with the good eye. Again any coloured cloth was used, usually darker colours.

Many eye patch cloths looked black because they rarely got washed.

Tests were invalid, imo. Should not have been plausible.

You are comparing a "bleached" eye to a darken eye. Pirates would never have been in these conditions. The Myth should be done with some research into the lighting on real period ships with period lighting.

Sunlight adjusted eye is fine if you doing a below deck thing with period lighting that would have been below deck. If you want above deck, get readings with a cloud covered night and period lighting below deck.

It is not plausible in my mind until done in more realistically done.

I've performed as a a pirate for 15 years. My mates and I have done extensive research on pirates and sailors from the so-called Golden Age of piracy.
I have never seen any reference to pirate eyepatches or other eye covering being used for anything but covering an empty eye socket.
Certainly a covered eye will be more suited to seeing in a darkened space than an uncovered eye once that patch was whipped off, but the fact is that going below didn't plunge you immediatly into stygian darkness on an average ship.
There would typically be hatches, ports, and deck prisms providing light. The need for pirates to see below deck would not be any more extreme than you average sailor of the same era; and eyepatches weren't worn as standard deck gear by merchant sailors or naval during the age of sail. Of course, the lower you went, the less light you would have.
It's one thing to show that something could maybe possibly could sorta be made to work, and another that it is the truth about a situation.
An example of this would be Thor Hyerdahl's sailing across the ocean in a papyrus raft to prove that South Americans and Polyesians could have been descended from Egyptian mariners. He thought that if he completed the voyage, his theory was proved.
Though his Kon-Tiki voyages were amazing and grueling testaments to his commitment to his theory, genetic evidence proves that his idea was hogwash.
Like walking the plank, this myth has no basis in historical fact.
Other than that, I found the episode was a hoot.
Keep yer powder dry,
L.J. Skivee

Hi, I'm watching the Pirate Special episode right now, and I can't help but notice that during the eye patch myth, there was a cameraman on the inside that a light on his camera. Wouldn't that have tampered with the myth because the light would have let Jamie and Adam see a little bit more since the light would help there non-covered eye to pick up some light?

that was infared

how long were you two out side with the eye patch

The only reason the called it plausible was because their isn't any written proof but it is real though. Also I feel that they made it too long but they need to fill the time though.