In the wake of several studies that have cast doubt upon the effectiveness of contact eye covers in restricting vision, we performed a series of five experiments to the end of achieving reversible blinding of the albino rat. The data of Experiment 1 indicated that the contact eye cover can be as effective as a rubber cup in restricting visual input. In Experiment 2, animals that were fitted binocularly with opaque eye covers performed as if blind on a task involving acquisition of pattern discrimination. In Experiment 3, binocular coverage with the opaque eye cover resulted in chance performance across 300 trials of a previously acquired pattern-discrimination habit. In Experiment 4, the base diameter of the eye cover was found to be a critical factor: Performance of a previously acquired brightness discrimination was reduced to chance levels by contact eye covers that approximated 7.0 mm in diameter. In Experiment 5, a smaller eye cover (6-mm diam) had no effect in limiting the visually evoked electrocortical response of the albino rat, while an eye cover of 7.2-mm diam produced a reliable attenuation of the response. The collective results indicate that appropriately fabricated contact eye covers are a viable means of restricting visual input and may justifiably be considered contact occluders.