Daily fluctuations in the detectability of dim lights by humans

Several aspects of retinal physiology are known to vary on daily or circadian cycles, suggesting that certain aspects of visual function might also vary. We measured absolute threshold--the dimmest visual stimulus that can be reliably detected--in seven human observers at mid-day (1200-1400) and mid-night (0000-0200), by means of standard psychophysical techniques. Five of the subjects were slightly more sensitive at night: they could detect stimuli that were on the average 20% dimmer at night than during the day, and this difference was not due to changes in the criterion for detection. Three of four subjects whose thresholds were measured hourly while they remained otherwise in total darkness for greater than 24 hours showed changes in absolute visual threshold that correlated with hourly changes in body temperature. These results suggest that the ability to detect dim lights varies systematically with time of day in many human observers.