A lamp for night sight applications includes a bulb that transmits both visible and infrared light. The lamp also includes a coating that reflects middle infrared radiation and is transparent to near infrared radiation to increase output efficiency in the near infrared spectral range. There may be a second coating that blocks visible light on part of the lamp--and the second coating may be on an external bulb, while the first coating is on an internal bulb. The lamp is preferably used as a vehicle headlamp with a reflector that reflects near infrared radiation and is transparent to visible light. The second coating and reflector may be on the lower part of the lamp.