Crab,
I could not agree more- a lack of FAA regulation has left civilian operators a loophole where they can go much too far with the goggles.
Civilians have begun to use NVG's to go places aided, where they cannot go unaided- instead of using them as they were intended, to enhance safety by providing better visual cues during VFR operations. I think that maybe some operators are beginning to lean on NVG's too heavily to get the job done. It is inevitable, of course....
A simple revision could cure that- maybe something like, "aided flight is not permitted in a VFR aircraft when meteorological conditions exist that would prevent a pilot from proceeding unaided..."
I have not seen a pre-flight tool that can assist a pilot in predicting light levels- I know that I would find it very useful in preliminary preflight planning- as a first step to consider before further contemplating and planning an offshore NVG flight.