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Why are things brighter in your peripheral vision?

Question

If you’re in a dark room and you switch off the TV, there is a glow. If you look directly at it, it disappears, but with peripheral vision, it gets brighter. Why is that?
Gus, Leatherhead

Answer

** Definitive **
Name: Damian, Deep Cut
Qualification: Ex-Military
Answer: At the back of your eye, there are two types of receptors, rods and cones. The cones are better at receiving low light than others, but they are at the side of the eyeballs, so you have to look out of the corner of your eyes to use them.

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