this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2023
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The prevailing theory for the use of eyepatches, in the case of piracy on the high seas and maritime combat, is that they will help preserve your “dark adapted vision”.
In such cases where you need to transition belowdecks you can maintain combat effectiveness in low light conditions.
Oh. I thought it might have been because you've accidentally poked an eye with your hook hand while swatting a fly.
sailors would sometimes lose an eye from ropes flicking up
they would also lose a lower limb from a rope accidently coiling around an ankle
ships are dangerous, the sails exert strong forces and anchors are very heavy
the dark adapted vision thing is probably because they used sextants for navigation and that meant looking at the sun
You use a sextant at night.
in the Northern hemisphere because they have a pole star. We don't have a pole star so we use the sun at noon.
really? so was there no astronimcal navigation in the southern hemisphere...?