If everyone was a cyclist, your nightvision would be good and a dim candle would illuminate a mile around. Its the cars, bright lights make everything dark.
I can with nightvision literally light up the road with the backlight on my wristwatch.
The way to defeat cars is reflect their light back to them. PGJ mentions ankle bands, they are good as they reflect in all directions and on both sides and from close to ground level where the drivers have their brightest beam. When cycling, the wizzing up/down of the ankles makes a noticeable strong pattern.
Tip - when a car approaches and about to ruin your nightvision, close one eye. That eye will not be blinded as much and you have one blinded eye slowly improving rather than two blinded eyes. Night vision is not as sharp as the iris is open, so blind your worse eye and keep your good eye for night. That's for those with different eyes like me (left short, right long, so I blind my left so my right can see obstacles after the car passed).
Cyclists are beginning to get decent bright cheap lights but even so oncoming vehicles can make the road black. Cyclists can now blind pedestrians.
Have you noticed how one car headlamp going over a hill can illuminate a whole mountain when you've night-accustomed?
