Why are the cabin lights dimmed during night/dusk take off or landing?

Have you ever been on a night or dusk arrival/departure and wondered why the cabin lights are dimmed for this event? Like many of the actions that occur in the cabin this event is designed to prepare all of the cabin occupants for a potential emergency situation and the cabin crew would be required to evacuate the passenger cabin.

By reducing the light levels inside the cabin the occupants eyes can adjust to the dimmer light conditions, which means would not require extra time to adjust in the event of evacuating from a brighly lit cabin to the dark outside. This allows a better and quicker focus on the exit slides, descent and evacuation away from the aircraft with eyesight already adjusted to the darker conditions.

So, now you know!