Green’s Dictionary of Slang

see n.

(UK Und.) in pl., the eyes.

1754		implied in sew someone’s sees
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1828		Lytton Pelham III 291: Ah, Bess, my covess, strike me blind if my sees don’t tout your bingo muns in spite of the darkmans.
c.1850		Duncombe New and Improved Flash Dict.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum.

In phrases

sew someone’s sees (v.) (also seem up the sees)

to give someone a black eye.

1754		G. Stevens ‘A Cant Song’ Muses Delight 177: I darken’d his daylights, and sew’d up his sees, / And up with my dew-beaters tript him.
1785		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: [...] sow [sic] up his sees, to close up a man’s eyes in boxing.
a.1790		H.T. Potter New Dict. Cant (1795) n.p.: seem-up the seas [sic] to give two black eyes.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant n.p.: sew up the seas [sic] to give a person two black eyes.
1819		‘One of the Fancy’ Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress 3: To close up their eyes – alias, to sow up their sees.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
c.1850		Duncombe New and Improved Flash Dict.