Why early night carrier operations were so difficult

How complicated were late-World-War-II night carrier operations?

Very complicated: pilots needed considerable lighting to manage already difficult deck operations, exposing the carrier in the process.

Tasks already demanding in daylight become much harder on a moving deck at night. Pilots, deck crews, and controllers must perform the same tightly timed work with far fewer visual cues. Experiments with specialized lighting could not remove the need for substantial illumination. Lighting the carrier enough to operate safely then created a tactical vulnerability by making the ship easier for an enemy to find and attack.