Bravo posted this in the events sections as help for one of the events but I thought it would be a great addition here. Thanks Bravo

Night Operations without NVGs

1. Techniques To Gain And Retain Night Vision. You can actually see more at night than most people would think. To do so you must employ the proper techniques.

a. Eye. The construction of the eye can best be compared to the construction of a camera. Let's compare the parts:

(1) Lens. The lens of the camera regulates light entering it; the lens of the eye performs the same functions.
(2) Iris. The iris acts in the same way as the diaphragm in the camera, opening and closing to regulate the amount of light entering the eye through the pupil.
(3) Retina. The retina is comparable to the film in a camera. The retina is struck by light rays, forming an image and causing an impression to be transmitted to the brain through the optic nerve. In a camera, the image is formed and fixed on the film. The retina is composed of two different types of cells, the cone cells and the rod cells, so named because of their shape.

(a) Cone. These cells enable you to see color, shape, and contrast. These are your day eyes because they require a great deal of light to activate them and they are blind during periods of low-illumination.
(b) Rod. Your night eyes are the rod cells. They produce a chemical substance called visual purple, which makes them active in darkness or periods of low-illumination. Rod vision enables you to distinguish black, white, and shades of gray, and to distinguish general outlines.

b. Principles of Night Vision. To effectively use your eyes at night you must apply the principles of night vision. They are:

(1) Dark Adaptation. This is allowing your eyes to become accustomed to low levels of illumination. It takes approximately 30 minutes for the rod cells to produce enough visual purple to activate and enable you to distinguish objects in dim light. You could stay in a red lighted area for this time, or you may wear red goggles for 20 minutes and follow it with 10 minutes in darkness (this allows the pupils to open wide). This technique will allow you to be in lighted areas to receive orders, check equipment, or perform other functions before moving into darkness, saving you valuable time.

(2) Off-Center Vision. This is when we keep our attention on an object without looking directly at it. Looking directly at an object focuses the image on the cone region which isn't sensitive at night. To form the image on the rod cells you should look slightly to the right, left, below or above an object. The angle will vary from individual to individual, but 6 degrees to 10 degrees will usually be most effective.

(3) Scanning. This is the method of using your off-center vision to observe an area or an object. The visual purple in the rod cells blacks out in four to ten seconds and you lose sight of the object, so you must move your eyes swiftly so fresh rod cells are used. Move your eyes in short, abrupt, irregular motions over and around the object. Pause a few seconds at each point because your eyes can't see while in motion. Keep your attention concentrated on the object, however, don't look directly at it.

c. Reduction of Night Vision. Visual purple is chemically related to vitamin A, and a serious lack of vitamin A will diminish your night vision. Excessive amounts of vitamin A won't necessarily improve your night vision and could cause other health problems. There are several factors that also reduce your ability to see at night, among them are: colds, headaches, fatigue, narcotics, heavy smoking, and excessive use of alcohol. If we expose our eyes to bright lights, we will destroy our night vision. If exposed to bright lights for extended periods of time, we will also destroy our day vision.

d. Protection from Bright Light. Since our night vision can be vital and is quickly destroyed if bright light enters the eye, we must know how to protect it. As previously mentioned, you may use the red goggle method. If you don't have red goggles or the method is impractical for the situation, you can close and cover one eye when entering or observing a lighted area. When the light goes away or you leave the lighted area the night vision retained in the protected eye will enable you to see until the other eye regains its night vision. It is suggested you close the eye you use to sight your weapon, for obvious reasons.

e. Confidence. Our confidence plays a very important role in our use of night vision. Normally we use our eyes when there is plenty of light and we see sharp outlines and bright colors. When we are in darkness, objects are faint, have no sharp outlines and have little or no color. We must believe what our eyes tell us, and we will gain this attitude and confidence by faithfully practicing the principles of night vision.

2. Noise. Sounds are very dangerous because they travel great distances at night. A few tips to help reduce the noise of movement during limited visibility are:

a. Sounds To Cover Movement. Take advantage of any noises that will help to cover the sounds of your movement. Noises such as rain, wind, vehicles, planes, shelling, battle sounds, and even sounds caused by insects can greatly aid you. Keep in mind that the sounds that are helping you will also aid the enemy.

b. Talking. Keep talking to a minimum, use hand and arm signals to the maximum.

c. Friction Tape. Use friction tape to secure rifle swivels, slings and other items which may rattle. It can also be used to draw in baggy parts of a uniform to prevent them from "hanging up" on vegetation, fences, or wire.

d. Avoid. If feasible, avoid movement through thick undergrowth, dense woods, and ravines. They are very difficult to move through quietly and they also reduce your field of observation.

e. Move Quickly. Move as quickly as possible, but avoid running. Running increases your chances of falling and creating a great deal of unnecessary noise.

f. Uniform. Don't starch your uniform, it will make noise when you move or rub against something.

Another old trick not in this lesson plan is to get a low as you can and look up. You can see more this way because objects will be silhouetted against the night sky. Also, remeber your eyes are naturally drawn to movement. Hope this helps.

Oh, you suffer from the magic hour syndrome. That time when its not light but not dark either. Worked with a few guys who had the same problem. Have to admit though, they could really see better at night.

you know ive never seen a doctor for it, but i have the same thing, i have an extremely hard time driving around dusk or dawn because the light irritates my eyes.

for me it's like things in motion are hard to judge distance on..kinda fuzzy during that time of day..i usually scare the hell out of my wife and kids walking around in the dark though..
the only time i've really experienced total darkness is in caves,mines and such where there is a lack any ambient light.