It has been speculated that sailors who often went above and below deck might have needed to keep themselves adjusted to the darkness below decks. In the critical moments of modifying the rigging, navigating, and especially during battle, those minutes were too precious.
This is the reason behind a popular culture happening.
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Pirates wearing Eye Patches
Though there are no first-person sources from history that state this as fact, there’s no question that keeping one eye dark-adapted works. MythBusters tested this hypothesis in their pirate special in 2007 and determined that it was plausible (only the lack of historical sources kept it from being confirmed).
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