1. All observations are the same for both models. The explanation is discovered in the invisible mechanisms, different in both models, but resulting in the exact same outcomes.
2, 3. I am not too interested in the vents. They are not the main story.
4. I already explained how butterflies cannot make it to the center of a Hurricane. Same for photons, the strength of the gravitational Great Depression will not allow them 'entry' into the Eye.
5. We know that photons can bend. That is all we need to know. In both models, the strength of the gravitational feature is not in question.
The images we have of Black Holes/Black Eyes show that photons are moved about. The only aspect that differs is the mechanism.
The Black Hole model has photons bend toward the exact center; the Black Eye model has photons incapable of reaching the exact center.