How to See in the Dark

Whether you want to infiltrate a secret base with other ninjas or just want to drive home safely on a dark road, you should practice to improve your night vision, stay fit. and protect eyes from damage.

Table of Contents

Enhanced Vision in the Dark

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Take advantage of cells (pictured) rods. Rod cells take 30-45 minutes to adapt to the changing amount of light around. Rod cells can only distinguish white and black with poor resolution but are very sensitive at night. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Photopigments (unstable pigments) are chemicals found in both rod and cone cells that are sensitive to light and are responsible for converting what you see into information the brain can understand. . Rhodopsin is a photopigment found in rod cells and is important for night vision.
The ability to adapt to the dark depends on many things that we cannot control, such as age, previous eye injury, or the current condition of the eye.
To be able to see in the dark, you have to understand what it takes to take advantage of the rod cells and use your eyes more quickly to adapt to changes in light.
If you try to look at a dim light, don’t look directly. Without looking directly, you used rod cells instead of cones. This is a trick used by astronomers.

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Wear red glasses or goggles. Rod cells do not perceive red, so wearing red glasses for about 20-30 minutes before entering the dark area can help you detect movement around more quickly. ^{[2] X Research Source}

By blocking out every color in the spectrum except red, the glasses allow the rod cell to adjust for “darkness” before you step in.
This is a trick often used by pilots when they don’t have time to practice in a completely dark area before night flights.

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Avoid looking directly at any light source. Light sources will cause the pupils to shrink and reduce night vision. ^{[3] X Trusted Source American Optometric Association Go to Source}

The pupil acts like the aperture of a camera, opening or closing depending on the amount of light the eye receives. The more light the eye receives, the more the pupil constricts. In low light conditions, the pupil dilates to let in more light.
If you look directly at the light source, you are extending the time, which causes the vision to self-correct and adjust for low light.
If you cannot avoid the light source, cover or close one eye, or adjust your gaze until it passes the light source.

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Improve night vision while driving. Take a few steps before getting in your car to help improve night driving visibility. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

As mentioned above, avoid looking directly at the oncoming light source. If someone enters a bend with their headlights on, protecting one eye will help prevent “dazzle,” allowing your eyes to easily adjust when turning back into the dark.
Look at the white line on the right but stay in the right lane. This allows you to stay safe, see your surroundings with peripheral vision, and still avoid looking directly into the headlights of oncoming traffic.
Reduce warning light brightness to a low but safe level to improve visibility while driving. Also use the “night” mirror setting. This helps limit glare from vehicles behind.
Clean headlights, wipers and windshields regularly. Spots on the windshield become a source of glare when you’re driving at night.
Maintain the vehicle regularly, including the headlights and fog light modifiers. Even a difference of one or two degrees can block the light and limit the driver’s vision.

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Let your eyes adjust to the darkness naturally. The best way to see in the dark is to let your eyes acclimate by relaxing in total darkness for 20-30 minutes. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

To make your eyes adjust to the dark faster, you can use an eye mask, or close your eyes and cover your eyes with your hand, let your eyes adjust before going into the dark.
Try the pirate eye patch. Protect one eye from light for 20-30 minutes, you can enter the dark area when that eye gets used to the dark. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

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Use peripheral vision. Eyes have a natural blind spot and navigating in the dark can be difficult if you try to focus your gaze. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Try to keep your gaze on one side of any object you think is there, or don’t focus on the direction as you move towards the shadows. Then, peripheral vision will detect motion and object shape better than if you keep trying to look at something directly.
Using peripheral vision and multiple rod cells, it’s the key to navigating in the dark, identifying shapes and detecting motion.

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Bend low to create shadows and look for contrast. Remember, rod cells do not perceive colors and details, they are guides in the dark. ^{[8] X Trusted Source American Optometric Association Go to Source}

The night sky is also a source of light. By crouching low, light from the night sky or from a window also provides enough contrast to make it easier for the rod cells of the eye to work.
In some forms of martial arts training, students are often instructed to crouch as low as possible, using the sky to identify objects or opponents by creating silhouettes.
Although rod cells in the eye are much more sensitive to light than cones, they only perceive black and white and provide low quality images by contrasting the light source behind the object.

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Gently massage the eyes. Close your eyes and use your palms to massage your eyes. ^{[9] X Trusted Source American Optometric Association Go to source} .

After about 5-10 seconds of massage, the normal black color will turn into white in a few seconds. When white becomes black again, open your eyes, now your vision in the dark is better.
Special Forces also adopt the method of closing their eyes for 5-10 seconds every time they enter a dark area. Science has not proven this method’s effectiveness, but it may help some people.

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Use all your senses to “observe”. Make sure you can move safely before your eyes can adjust to the darkness. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Place your feet on the floor, spread your arms out to the sides, and move slowly. Listen for noises around, be it a door, hallway or window. Remember to move your arms and hands so you don’t hit a tree or the edge of a door.

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Consider visualizing with sound. Studies with visually impaired people are ongoing and promising. They have developed their ability to make clicks with their tongues, known as “echolocation”, which is similar to the positioning of bats.

By using echolocation, one can locate objects in front of or around them clearly. For example, one person demonstrated this method by pressing sounds with her tongue to “scan” the area until she determined the location of the person holding the vase. Using her tongue to add a click, she was able to determine the shape and contour of the vase.
An echolocation expert can ride a mountain bike on difficult terrain and avoid obstacles and without using any techniques.
Echolocation experts say anyone can develop this skill.

Protect and Enhance your Vision

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Wear sunglasses during the day. A few hours of exposure to sunlight and UV radiation can impair accommodation in the dark. ^{[11] X Trusted Source American Optometric Association Go to Source}

Exposure to sunlight during the day without sunglasses can slow down the eye’s adaptation to darkness by about 10 minutes for every 2.3 hours of sun exposure.
In addition to being slow to adapt to the dark, vision levels are also reduced. For example, 10 consecutive days of exposure to sunlight without protective eyewear can reduce the level of vision in the eye by about 50%.
Over time, rods, cones, and photopigments return to their normal state. Each person will have a different recovery time.
You should choose gray lenses because they help reduce brightness but do not distort color.

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Reduce the brightness of the computer screen. If you work at night, it is best to reduce the brightness of your computer screen to the lowest possible level. ^{[12] X Trusted Source American Optometric Association Go to Source}

Looking directly at a bright computer screen while the whole room is dark will reduce night vision. Here’s a quick, simple tip to look better at night.
There are several software that adjust the screen brightness according to the time of day.

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Let your eyes relax often. Take frequent breaks to relax your eyes while working continuously at the computer, read the printout, or focus on something else for a while. ^{[13] X Trusted Source American Optometric Association Go to Source}

Regularly rest your eyes. Every 20 minutes of stressful work, especially when looking at a computer screen, take a break and look away for about 20 seconds. This helps the eyes to focus again.
For every 2 hours working on a computer or something else that requires your eyes to focus, give your eyes a 15-minute break.
Protect your eyes from fatigue by taking a 5-10 minute nap at noon. Close your eyes and massage gently. You don’t have to sleep to rest your eyes.

Adjusting the Diet

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Eat blueberries. Blueberries are used in many medicines. ^{[17] X Research Source}

Studies have shown that blueberries are good for the eyes and retina.
Studies also recommend the use of blueberries in cases of retinal replacement but with diabetes and high blood pressure.
Blueberries are said to have the ability to improve night vision. The results of the study are quite contradictory. Some studies demonstrate that blueberries provide benefits in improving night vision, others do not reach the same conclusion.
The most recent review found that blueberries were “completely ineffective” in improving night vision.
Blueberries are quite hard to find, you only see blueberry juice or jam. Follow the directions on the package for the right amount per day.

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Take vitamin A supplements. One of the first signs of vitamin A deficiency is not seeing at night. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

In ancient Egypt, it was discovered that blindness could be cured by eating liver, then we learned that liver contains a lot of vitamin A.
Vitamin A deficiency can dry out the cornea, open the eyes, ulcerate the cornea and reduce vision, as well as damage the retina and problems with the conjunctiva.
Carrots, broccoli, squash, cantaloupe, fish, liver, whole grains, dairy products, kale, blueberries and apricots are good sources of vitamin A.
Although eating foods rich in vitamin A is good for your eyes, studies have also shown that taking more vitamin A than needed doesn’t help with healthy eyes.
Vitamin A supplements come as tablets or capsules, and are given in mcg or units. It is recommended that adults get 800 to 1000 mcg of vitamin A per day. In terms of units, that equates to 2600 to 3300 units a day.
The protein Rhodopsin found in the eye breaks into the retina and opsin when exposed to light and transforms when returned to the dark. A diet lacking in vitamin A can lead to blindness, but too much vitamin A won’t help you see better than usual.

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Eat lots of dark green and leafy vegetables. The biggest benefit of food sources in improving night vision is the improvement in vision thanks to the vegetables you eat. ^{[19] X Research Source}

Vegetables like kale, spinach, and broccoli contain a lot of nutrients that protect the eyes by filtering out wavelengths of light that can damage the retina.
These foods also protect the eyes from degenerative processes, such as age-related macular degeneration.

Seeking Medical Care

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See an eye doctor. For day and night vision care you should see an optometrist/ophthalmologist. Most doctors will make an in-person appointment for a vision test. ^{[22] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

If you don’t see well in normal light, you can’t see well in the dark. Make an appointment and consult with your vision doctor.
Make sure the type of contact lens you are using still meets your needs. Vision changes over time and you may need to change your glasses often.

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Keep eyes moist. Ask your doctor if you have problems with dry eyes. ^{[23] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

Healthy, moisturized and relaxed eyes will look better during the day and at night, and dry and tired eyes will have difficulty determining movement in low light.
Moisturize your eyes and let them rest. Blinking continuously, especially when focusing on the computer screen, TV, etc.
If your eyes are dry, use regular eye drops to combat dryness and redness, see an eye doctor and ask for a more specialized product for this.

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See an ophthalmologist for clarification. During routine checkups, your doctor may not ask about night vision. ^{[24] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

Tell your doctor about any problems you have with your night vision. Problems with visual impairment can be caused by age, or by health conditions.
Diseases and health conditions that cause visual impairment are: cataracts, macular degeneration, astigmatism, glaucoma, farsightedness, astigmatism, myopia.

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Consider medical conditions that cause vision loss. Make regular appointments with your doctor to evaluate for a medical cause. Certain medical conditions and medications can affect vision. ^{[25] X Research Sources}

Some examples of medical conditions that affect vision: diabetes, migraine headaches, infections, glaucoma, stroke, unstable blood pressure, sudden trauma like a head injury. ^{[26] X Research Sources}

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Consider medications. Besides medical conditions, there are also many medications that have side effects that affect vision. ^{[27] X Research Source}

Certain medicines that affect vision: the muscle relaxer cyclobenzaprine, the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide, the medicine for epilepsy, headaches and mood swings called topiramate.
Do not change the medication on your own. If vision is affected by a medication you’re taking, talk to your doctor to adjust the dose or choose a different one that doesn’t have any side effects on vision.

Steps

Enhanced Vision in the Dark

Protect and Enhance your Vision

Adjusting the Diet

Seeking Medical Care

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