More information: Some time ago, I heard an urban legend that, during World War II, British pensioners who had undergone cataract surgery were enlisted to serve as coast watchers to look out for German U-boats, which were using UV lamps to signal agents. (The UL didn't say how the agents were able to see them.) In researching it, I only found one reference, and would love to know if anyone can definitively confirm or deny this legend.

An article, "Bird's-Eye View", published in Fortune Magazine in April 2005, describes a man who lost the lens of his left eye due to an injury at age 10. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2005/04/04/8255929/index.htm The author is Ivan Amato. A google search confirms that he's a reputable and respected science writer. From the article: ----------- ...when Stark's lens came out, UV light for the first time could make it all the way to his left retina. "I suddenly was seeing a whole bunch of the spectrum that I hadn't been able to see before," he recalls. A little like Superman, little William Stark had UV vision. Ever since then, Stark's world has been painted according to a different plan. It's generally brighter and bluer. The sun appears more brilliant, the moon richer in off-whites. If he could find glasses that would help his left eye focus better, Stark suspects he would see flowers the way birds and bees do--rife with UV pigments that define alluring bull's-eye and landing-pad patterns. ----------- I couldn't find anything about UV signaling by German U-boats, though it's plausible since astronomers of the era already had advanced spectrometers. Interesting topic.

It is possible. I recently had surgery to remove a splinter from my eye and I can now see dead people