Eye black 3548906 215505265 2008-05-28T14:27:15Z DOI bot 6652755 Citation maintenance. You can [[WP:DOI|use this bot]] yourself! Please [[User:DOI_bot/bugs|report any bugs]]. [[Image:Drew Bledsoe eye black.jpg|thumb|[[Drew Bledsoe]] wearing eye black.]] '''Eye black''' is a grease applied under the [[eye]]s to reduce [[Light pollution#Glare|glare]]. It is often used by [[baseball]] and [[American football]] players, where sunlight or stadium lights can impair vision of an airborne ball. Traditional grease consists of [[beeswax]], [[paraffin]], and [[carbon]].<ref>{{cite web | title=What's That Black Grease Baseball Players Put On? | work=CNN Live at Daybreak | url=http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0307/15/lad.16.html | accessdate=December 28 | accessyear=2005}}</ref> Patented antiglare [http://www.eyeblack.com stickers] that emulate the grease are also manufactured, sometimes with a sports team logo printed on. According to Paul Lukas of ESPN.com, the earliest known instance of a player wearing eye black is [[Washington Redskins]] [[fullback (American football)|fullback]] [[Andy Farkas]], who apparently came up with the idea on his own in 1942. He also goes on to say that the original eye black was made from burned cork ashes. A 2003 study by Brian DeBroff and Patricia Pahk tested whether black eye grease actually had anti-glare properties. The subjects of the study were divided into three groups: wearers of eye black, wearers of antiglare stickers, and wearers of [[petroleum jelly]]. The subjects' vision was tested using an [[eye chart]] while being exposed to natural sunlight. The study concluded that eye black reduced glare of the sun and improved [[contrast (vision)|contrast]] sensitivity, whereas commercial antiglare stickers and petroleum jelly (the control substance) were found to be ineffective.<ref>{{cite journal | author=Brian M. DeBroff and Patricia J. Pahk | title=The Ability of Periorbitally Applied Antiglare Products to Improve Contrast Sensitivity in Conditions of Sunlight Exposure | journal=Archives of Ophthalmology | year=July 2003 | volume=121 | issue=7 | pages=997–1001 | url=http://archopht.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/121/7/997 | pmid=12860804 | doi=10.1001/archopht.121.7.997 }}</ref> A further study which set to improve DeBroff's methodology also found eye black to reduce glare from the sun, but less so in blue-eyed individuals and males.<ref>{{cite journal | author=Benjamin R. Powers | title=Why Do Athletes Use Eye Black? | journal=University of New Hampshire Inquiry | year=2005 | url=http://www.unh.edu/inquiryjournal/05/articles/powers.htm}}</ref> ==References== <references/> ==External links== *[http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/meyeblack.html Why do athletes put that black stuff under their eyes?] at [[The Straight Dope]], [[2008-03-04]]. *[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/03/sports/03eyeblack.html Some Players Use It to Cut Glare, Others to Turn Up the Spotlight] [[Category:Sports equipment]] [[Category:Ophthalmology]] [[ja:アイブラック]]