Why can't our eyes see infrared or ultraviolet?

This water also absorbs infrared radiation before it hits our retinas. Below is a graph of the how much light is absorbed by liquid water by wavelength. Liquid water absorption. This explanation also explains why we can't see UV light. read more

Our brain can only perceive wavelength from 300nm to 700nm. Red being the shortest and violet being the longest. Beyond that it can't. Infrared would be red in color while ultraviolet will be violet in color. read more

This light can't reach your eyes because the air absorbs it. Also, our eyeballs are filled with water. This water also absorbs infrared radiation before it hits our retinas. Below is a graph of the how much light is absorbed by liquid water by wavelength. This explanation also explains why we can't see UV light. read more

And while our naked eyes can't pick up on infrared light, the sensors in your phones and digital cameras can — essentially making the invisible visible. To see the infrared light that your TV remote transmits, shine the remote at your phone camera and press a button, as seen in the video below by Robert Krampf, the Happy Scientist. read more