May 3, 2019 - News Post

How's your night vision?

When I was little, mine was excellent. I could spot animals while walking at night, read in low light conditions, and effectively navigate the house based on the light of digital clocks. It only got better with time.

This wasn't a super power. I was adjusting to my surroundings.

I spent my younger years in upstate NY. Winter and cloudy weather seemed to last 9 months, which meant that I got used to gloomy conditions. Our house wasn't the brightest during the day, and nighttime was often poorly lit.

My teen years were spent in Florida. But no teenager in their right mind wants to wake up early. Most of my waking hours were after dark. A geeky but artistic kid like me shunned the outdoors, and spent a great deal of time hunched over drawings and schoolwork late at night.

In my early twenties, I worked in seasonal and year-round haunted houses. I'd dress as a zombie and scare guests that paid to have someone yell at them. I spent months and then years in dark conditions. Day and night. Very normal stuff.

Because that sort of job was more of a passion than a hobby, I'd still need to spend my time working in an office. The cubicles were dark, and the bright lights of the monitor only seemed to burn into my brain. I loved being on the computer, so what was the best way to counteract the effects of an overly bright monitor?

By working in the dark, of course.

When I'd get home, I'd keep the lights dim. Roommates, girlfriends, and now my wife have all been driven nuts by my lack of light at night. They'd demand that I turn on lights, only to have me say, "Oh what? Yeah, if you have to."

You see, I didn't mind the light. I just didn't mind the dark either. I often couldn't tell when there wasn't enough light.

You'll notice this is all past tense.

Sadly, I've found myself turning on more lights in recent months. Like a normal person.

I jump at shadows moving in weird ways as I walk the dogs, and I can't seem to avoid kicking things as I stumble my way towards the bed at night. The change has been gradual, almost unnoticeable. But it's been happening for months.

Is it my new home? The days are brighter here than I've ever seen. Is that impacting my night vision? Because I can't see a thing. To be fair, the nights are also darker than I've experienced in a long time. There aren't many streetlights, and light pollution is a lot lower.

I am getting older almost daily. I've been to enough concerts to impact my hearing. Have I seen enough bright lights to permanently damage my night vision? I'm sure I could google to see if see if that's even possible. But what if I did and the screen was too dim to read? That's a risk I'm not willing to take.

In any case, my night vision abilities are fading. I don't know how, I don't know why, but I do know one thing: It's a dark day. A dark, dark, da-- you get the point.

I hope I haven't lost my super power. Yes, I've changed my mind and decided to call it a super power.

-Jeff