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Why does the tapetum lucidum help many strepsirrhines see in dim light?

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Illustration comparing the body plans of representative anthropoids, showing a male western lowland gorilla, a male human, a male bonobo, a female Bornean orangutan, and male and female northern white-cheeked gibbons, all labeled and depicted to scale. — primate Representative apes (superfamily Hominoidea).

The tapetum lucidum is a reflective layer located behind the retina that acts as a mirrorlike surface within the eye. In many strepsirrhines, this structure enhances vision in dim light by reflecting light that has passed through the retina back outward. This process provides a second opportunity for the light to be absorbed by visual pigments, thereby increasing the animal's sensitivity to light in nocturnal environments.12