Method for illuminating an object for a human user, or other vision system, to be able to view the object with an unaided eye by means of an illumination device that comprises a light source for illuminating the object and at least one photo element that is adapted to capture the light emitted by the light source after being back reflected from the object, to be activated during a temporal integration gate and to output a signal value U at the end of the integration gate with the signal value U being proportional to the energy of light arriving on the photo element during its activation, and for determining a distance value R between the object and the illumination device with the steps: a) illuminating the object with the light source and switching the light intensity of the light source at a point in time T o from an intensity l out,h to an intensity l out,l being lower than l 0ut,h as well as switching its intensity at a point in time T o + T n back to l out,h, wherein the light arriving on the photo element corresponding to the emitted intensity l out,h has an intensity l in,h and the light arriving on the photo element corresponding to the emitted intensity l out,l has an intensity l in,l; a1) measuring the intensity l in,l; = l in,h - l iη,l by means of the photo element by measuring a signal value U 2 within a second integration gate; b) outputting a signal value U at the end of the integration gate of the photo element, wherein the integration gate has such a predetermined delay to T o that either T tof or T tof + T n is between an integration start point in time T sd of the integration gate and an integration end point in time T sd + T s the integration gate, with T tof being the first point in time when light with the intensity l iη, l arrives on the photo element, wherein T s is longer than T n, wherein T s 2 is longer than T n and wherein the second integration gate has such a delay to T o that the integration end point in time T sd2 + T s2 is earlier than T tof or the integration start point in time T sd2 is later than T tof + T n, or wherein T s 2 is longer than T n and wherein the second integration gate has such a delay to T o that the integration start point in time T sd2 is earlier than T tof and the integration end point in time T sd 2 + T s 2 is later than T tof + T n; c) calculating the distance value R from U and l in. a) illuminating the object with the light source and switching the light intensity of the light source at a point in time T o from an intensity l out,h to an intensity l out,l being lower than l 0ut,h as well as switching its intensity at a point in time T o + T n back to l out,h, wherein the light arriving on the photo element corresponding to the emitted intensity l out,h has an intensity l in,h and the light arriving on the photo element corresponding to the emitted intensity l out,l has an intensity l in,l; a1) measuring the intensity l in,l; = l in,h - l iη,l by means of the photo element by measuring a signal value U 2 within a second integration gate; b) outputting a signal value U at the end of the integration gate of the photo element, wherein the integration gate has such a predetermined delay to T o that either T tof or T tof + T n is between an integration start point in time T sd of the integration gate and an integration end point in time T sd + T s the integration gate, with T tof being the first point in time when light with the intensity l iη, l arrives on the photo element, wherein T s is longer than T n, wherein T s 2 is longer than T n and wherein the second integration gate has such a delay to T o that the integration end point in time T sd2 + T s2 is earlier than T tof or the integration start point in time T sd2 is later than T tof + T n, or wherein T s 2 is longer than T n and wherein the second integration gate has such a delay to T o that the integration start point in time T sd2 is earlier than T tof and the integration end point in time T sd 2 + T s 2 is later than T tof + T n; c) calculating the distance value R from U and l in.