How to Get Night Vision

Train your eyes to use what little light is available for night vision.

Night vision is when the eyes adjust to limited light sources in the dark. Night vision is moderated by the pupils in the eyes. As light decreases, your pupils dilate, allowing more light into your eyes. To gain night vision, use some tested methods to adjust your eyes to the dark and improve your ability to see.

Instructions

1. Sit in a dark room for 30 minutes before heading out into the dark night. Do not look at any lights directly for at least 30 minutes and try to let your eyes adjust to the dark room.

2. Go outside. Scan the area in front of you using your peripheral vision. Try to lock onto objects using the side view off the eyes.

3. Get low to the ground. Objects are more visible when there is a little light behind them at night. From a lower stance, you can look up to see the outlines of objects in the area, silhouetted by moon or star light.

4. Look for shapes rather than colors. At night, a human eye is nearly colorblind. Look for shapes to differentiate objects.

5. Look for movement. The human eye focuses on movement in the dark more than most all other visual sensory marks. Look for movement and then slide into peripheral night vision.

Tips & Warnings

• Russian military tests had soldiers eat a sugar cube and expose their eyes to red lights for 10 minutes. They claimed it improves night vision as the optic nerves function on blood sugar.

• Keep a flashlight or light source with you in case of emergencies.

References

• Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center: Night Hikes: PDF
• Improve Vision Naturally: How To Improve Night Vision