^^^^^
I'm late to the party as usual, stop me if you've (all) heard this before.
As a kid, I always thought the pirate's eye patch was "earned".......Part fashion choice for sure, a tough guy intimidation thing for sure, but one which was "earned".......By losing a damn eye, one way or another; Either in combat, or just from a plain old hard seafaring life. And the patch was there to cover up the ugly, empty, ash tray of a socket.
Years later, I hear this guy suggesting that it may have been far more about tactical decisions and battle readiness. In that line of work, you have two perfectly good eyes; And you keep one or the other of them "dark accustomed" at all times;
Hand to hand combat on the deck, in full daylight; And when you chase someone below decks to continue the fight below, (and all of the fluorescent fixtures, and accent lights are out
), all you have to do is whip that eye patch from one side to the other, and start swingin' that cutlass away. While your opponent is still blinking like a chump, trying to figure out how many (of his, now severed) fingers you're holding up.
AAARRRRRGGhhhhhh!