Night Vision Eye Drops Lets You See Better In The Dark

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A group of researchers in California created experimental eye drops that allow better vision at night.

An independent "citizen science" group, called Science for the Masses (SftM), claimed to have created and tested night vison eye drops. They used a solution that contains a natural molecule called Chlorin e6. This is a substance found in deep sea fish that allows them to see in the dark, as reported by Tech Times. The Ce6 can be extracted from plants like algae. It has properties that amplify light and is currently used in some cancer treatments - a function that proved its safety.  

According to Newsweek, the eye drops were tested on the principal testing consultant Gabriel Licina. Licina's eyes were held open to drop the solution onto the eyeballs. After giving it time to be absorbed, Licina put on black contact lenses to protect his eyes from light over-exposure.

To test the eye drops, he and a group who had not been given the night-vision drop were led to a field to identify shapes and motionless people at different distances of up to 50 meters.

The result of the field test was published on their website, Sftm.org. The review concluded that Licina's night-vision allowed him to recognize all the targets with a 100 percent accuracy while those who were not given the eye drops had a success rate of only 33 percent.

The effects weren't permanent as 50 microliters of the eye drops wore off after a few hours, so the eyes of Licina returned to normal.

The paper also warns that the cellular structure of the eye could be damaged by the application of Chlorin e6 if used carelessly at home.

When Licina was asked about the risks he's taking with his own eyesight, he says, "It's more difficult to sue yourself. We have done the research, we've double and triple checked all of our sources and the journal papers." He adds that they are serious about science and research a lot.

When it comes to the effects the eye drops, Licina said that it is subtle. "It's more like dark became dim, everything was a little brighter. Not a crazy noticeable light, burning and doom, but more a subtle, 'oh I can see a thing," he explained.

The StfM scientists plan to do more research on the effects of Ce6.