Blackout, Avenger Of The Night

I must confess to a little puzzlement about this character, Blackout, posted on Four Color Shadows.  An American reporter caught in Germany when the U.S. entered the war, Jack Simms is beaten by the Gestapo until he is blinded.  He manages to escape and meet members of the German underground, one of whom is a doctor.  The doctor makes him a special pair of glasses that allow him to see, and he joins the underground to become Blackout.  Question is, what special powers do the special glasses actually bestow, if any?  The implication is that they allow him to see in darkness, and thus infiltrate and avoid detection, but the story never really says (as far I as could tell).  Other than that gap, a fun read.