New Insights into Low-Light Vision

"Driving down a dimly lit road at midnight can tax even those with 20/20 vision, but according to a recent UC Irvine study, the brain processes the experience no differently than if it were noon. The same study also reveals how quickly the brain adapts to vision loss, contradicting earlier research and opening the door to novel treatments," reports Science Daily. "The findings, which appear in the April 21 edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are significant for those who have suffered retinal damage or disease, said cognitive scientist Alyssa Brewer, the lead author. 'Previous research suggested that the two areas of the brain responsible for color processing received input only from cone photoreceptors -- the parts of the retina used in central, normal daylight vision for things like reading and seeing details and colors in a scene,' she said." Read more.

New Method for Measuring Low Light Vision

"A simple method of testing 'twilight vision' gives reliable results in identifying people who have decreased visual acuity under low light conditions, according to a new study," according to Science Codex. "Using filters to test at a light level 100 times lower than for daylight visual acuity testing, vision care professionals can obtain 'reliable and repeatable' measurements of twilight vision, report Jason S. Ng, OD, PhD, and colleagues of Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University in Fullerton, Calif." Read more.