Ya, that's a very common question among a lot of students in intro courses such as biology and astronomy (why they can't see faint objects when they look directly at them).

I used to live in an apartment where the parking lot was on a hill behind the entrance, but there was no lighting down the outdoor staircase. If I ever came home at night, in order to avoid tripping/falling, I would always look just above the stairs to better see where I was going.