This handmade leather eye patch is for the broken-hearted pirate... or the closet romantic who wishes a more subtle look. The leather is lightly etched in a random pattern, and dyed and painted black with a subtle shimmer. The heart shape is cut out of the leather and beveled for a more finished and finely crafted look. The heart-shaped hole is backed with transparent black fabric.
The visibility while wearing this eye patch is pretty good, considering you’re looking through fabric out a smallish hole. Vision is still somewhat limited and a bit shaded, especially in poorly lit conditions, but it gives you a far better range of vision than a standard opaque eye patch.
I also make a similar version of this eye patch in red, as well as other see-through eye patches and many other eyepatch designs (a few of which may be seen in the last photo).
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Please use caution and common sense when wearing an eye patch, as it can cause loss of depth perception and balance (and, of course, you lose a large portion of your range of vision as well). Do not wear a costume eyepatch while driving to the Halloween masquerade (or anywhere else). This is not a medical eyepatch. Please get your doctor's approval if you intend to use this over or in lieu of a medical eye patch.
Mythbusters did a piece about eye patches which showed the probable reason the eye patch is such an iconic wardrobe staple for pirate costumes. It's not because pirates were always losing an eye, but because the eyepatch helped them see better when they had to go from a bright sunny deck to the darkness below decks. They simply switched the patch to their other eye when they went below, so that the eye that had been shielded did not have to adjust to the darkness (which can take up to half an hour).
Of course, the see-through eye patch functions a little differently than the standard pirate eye patch. A savvy customer of mine requested an eye patch that allows better visibility, and this design is one of the results!
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Sold out? Want a different color? Have this item Made to Order, specially for you! (This link will initiate an email to discuss details with the artist.)
