Could it be possible to be near-blind in daylight yet see perfectly at night?

The question is fairly straightforward but to put a bit of context:

(Slice of life): I've often noticed how even though my eyesight really isn't great* I still somehow manage seeing a lot better at night than most people. I've often wondered why that is...
*_{(myopia, dry eyes, add laser surgery and myopia again 'gah')}

Context:
In a fantasy/sci-fi world I'm currently working on, a civilization lives near a very bright star. My idea is that this civilization evolves to preserve eyesight by almost blinding itself from the light of the star (see it as a kind of biological super squinting of some sort - or an equivalent), this evolutionary instinct is triggered in any environment where there is an abundance of light. However when they stop 'super squinting', they can see extremely well with very little light - I'm not closed to the idea of them seeing in pitch darkness but the idea is that they do need light to see, and they can distinguish colors as well as us (although possibly differently) etc...

Additional Information:
Reference
So I found this page, I'm not knowledgeable enough on the subject to be able to certify it but it seemed legit to me. As such, what I'd be interested is basically a humanoid life-form that while having terribly crappy photopic eyesight - they'd have very advanced/developed mesopic/scotopic eyesight, including the ability to distinguish colors well (even though that is in contradiction), all of which due to the brightness of the star their homeworld orbits, like previously stated.

(Let alone if it's possible)
How could a life form that is mostly blind in daylight see perfectly with very little light?

Let me know if more info is needed on the setting but I'm pretty open-minded. (Although I would prefer actual science than handwaving, I'm pretty good at that on my own :P )

posted over 8 years ago

Spacemonkey‭

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