Eclipse glasses



Eclipse glasses were gadgets invented by the mechanist for observing the eclipse safely, without unnecessarily damaging the eyes in the heat of battle during the Invasion of the Fire Nation.

History
Sokka commissioned the mechanist to produce these special glasses so that when the invasion force invaded the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun, they could observe the eclipse safely as a means of keeping track of time. The mechanist produced hundreds of these glasses for the members of the invasion force. When the troops were making their way up capital hill, the mechanist warned them that the eclipse was starting, and ordered them to put on their eclipse glasses. The mechanist, Katara and Hakoda appeared to be the only three people to actually look at the eclipse with their glasses on.

Design
The glasses are made of leather, and although they are referred to as glasses, they do not actually contain any glass. The slits block the sun's glare while still allowing the wearer to see. They are reminiscent of eyewear used by some desert cultures to reduce glare and offer protection from sandstorms. The sandbenders in the Si Wong Desert were seen wearing similar eyewear.

Trivia

 * The glasses are based on similar specimens created by the Inuit for the same purposes as in the series.
 * The only ones who did not wear the eclipse glasses were Aang, Sokka, and Toph, who were searching for Fire Lord Ozai's underground bunker, hidden in a nearby volcano.