Night Vision Goggles

The Night vision glasses a.k.a NVG are mostly used by armed forces or by security personnel but can also be bought by civilians for recreational purposes.

(Restrictions do sometimes apply and not all consumers can get access to he same quality used by the military or police.)

These goggles were first used in the WWII and since then they have grown in popularity in the arsenal of every army throughout the world.

These goggles help the user see in the dark, although depth perception is almost nil, but you can still distinguish objects clearly with this instrument.

Since its inception there have been a number of modifications to the original design but essentially the principle of operation remains the same.

Even during the night or in the dark there is a little amount of light that the human eye cannot detect.

The NVGS work by amplifying the little amount of light and make it visible to the user.

The passive NVGs work in the following manner:

1. In the dark small packets of light called photons, come and hit the goggle and is turned into electron.

2. This electron is used to hit a thinly charged disc, thereby creating some more electrons.

3. All these electrons hit the phosphor screen and this creates an image in front of the viewer’s eyes.

4. As human beings can perceive different shades of green, so the product is manufactured in such a way that the image comes up in green.

There are other types of NVGs as well, which use infrared or near infrared light to give you a clear image in the dark.

The infra red NVGs use a technology called Automatic Gain Control or AGC to create visible contrast for objects in the dark.

It should be remembered that army NVGs are much more precise and incorporate latest technology when compared to the civilian models.

There is some legality involved while purchasing the NVGs in certain European countries.

Night vision goggles can only help you in low lighting conditions, so do not expect them to work if there is extremely low amount of light in the room.

In the United States only the Generation III goggles are available for civilian purposes.

These NVGs are particularly popular among wildlife enthusiasts as these give them a chance to observe nocturnal animals in their natural behavior without disturbing them.

Return to Night Vision Glasses

Return to Laser Eye Surgery Review home