After receiving the injection, the volunteer – researcher Gabriel Licina – could supposedly see up to a distance of 50 meters in almost total darkness for several hours, and could spot people running among trees in dark conditions. In comparison, people who weren’t treated with the solution did not fare as well.

The mystifying solution apparently contains a substance called Chlorin e6 (Ce6), which is found in some deep-sea fish. It has light-amplification properties, and has also been used in cancer treatment research. By combining Ce6 with insulin and saline, the team was able to produce a solution that can improve vision in the dark.

During the experiment, the scientists dropped the liquid onto the conjunctival sacs on Gabriel’s eyes, using a pipette. When the solution reached his retinas, his eyes turned scarily black for a while, but later returned to their normal color. “To me, it was a quick, greenish-black blur across my vision, and then it dissolved into my eyes,” Gabriel said.

As interesting as the experiment sounds, the researchers warned that it should not be tried at home. They noted in their paper that “the high risk of cellular toxicity from outside contaminants being absorbed through the skin make this chemical something that should only be handled with caution.” They also wrote that the application of Ce6 could cause damage to the cellular structure of the eye.

-Oddity Central