Jorge,

Is it true that UK pilots eat blueberry or bilberry jam to increase their night vision?

I don't foresee leopard hunting in the immediate future, but I do like submarine races at night.

Minkman

quote:

Is it true that UK pilots eat blueberry or bilberry jam to increase their night vision?

Minkman,

I have seen a couple of versions of this..Others are based on secret natural suppliments that were supposedly taken by Spitfire/nightfighter crews during WW2 and that this in part accounted for their success..Personally I think it had more to do with us having RADAR...

The story is usually that a visting American hunter is told the "secret" by a Scottish gamekeeper (presumably an ex Spitfire pilot?) who has fantastic nightvision and the American takes the idea back to the States where he wishes to help fellow hunters by making the secret avialable to them...at a small price of course..

Needless to say, before I saw these stories on American sites on the Net I had never heard of such suppliments..

Regards,

Pete

Minkman,

I don't know if it's true or not, but I can tell you that eating blueberrys (fresh, in jam or whatever) and drinking blueberry juice has been common practice amongst members of some military units here in Norway. Supposedly to help one increase the eyes ability to see in poor lighting. I've done it myself, but have no scientific data proving that it helped me or not. Maybe it's just a myth that we adopted over here too? Nowadays one can also find pills that contain consentrated substances from blueberrys, that are supposed to help ones eyesight. Again, I don't know if they work or not. But I'd like to think that they do!

Thanks for the tip! I'll order another piece of Blueberry cheese cake!

I thought it was carrots!
peter.

I've been taking an herbal remedy for years to help/prevent macular degeneration. It seems to help me. It contains both beta-carotene and bilberry extract and a bunch of other stuff.

Sorry gents, but I'v never heard of this "urban legend" before. Like others posted here, carrots used to be the ticket. In my case, it was a set of glasses that all of a sudden I could see! Amazingly this "affliction" started at age 40 and has gotten progressively worse! jorge

Jorge,

That scotch you left at my house works wonders!!! After a couple of good stiff drinks of that magic elixer, I see two of everything!!'
Simply amazing!!! Haven't tried my night vision with it yet. Might do that tonite.

DB

Though I think blueberries served in any way are great I doubt significant benefit to the eyes. However in WWII they gave vitamin A to pilots to improve their night vision.Vitamin A does have significant benefit to the eyes. A deficiency will cause lose of night vision .Bright light especially sunlight reflecting off snow will use up your vitamin A as in snow blindness.

It may be an apocryphal story, but I was told that the blokes drank a bilberry extract in WWII for the vitamin A.
Some prick at the Pentagon decided to put night vision goggles on us fighter pilots so we could go mucking about in the weeds at 480 knots at night. Moron. This round the clock war fighting is just plain rude. Get up, throw up and go up in the morning worked fine for 80 years, sigh....

lawndart

115: great idea, maybe it'll make the flight deck seem twice as big for night landings! Lawndart, I'm with you on that one. I've flown with NVGs once or twice and the depth perception is non-existant. We just lost two Marine Hornets with those damend things this week, If you're going to do night work, best thing going is an F-15E with the guy in the back doing the night thing, The F-14 works well also, and I guess the new Hornet F.Single seaters and NVGs is a crazy idea in my book. jorge