A surgical dissector comprising an elongate shaft having a proximal end and a distal end. A blunt dissection tip is positioned on the distal end of the elongate shaft. A light source emits a diffuse visible energy, such as white light, from the blunt tip. The shaft may take a variety of shapes, including being rigid, flexible, malleable, straight, bent, curved, articulated, and/or segmented. In addition, the shaft may include one or more functional components. The dissector can be used to locate the dissector tip by observing the visible energy passing through tissue. In addition, the visible energy passing through tissue may be used to differentiate tissue.