Why Do Bright Car Headlights at Night Cause Pain in Your Eyes?

Did you ever feel why bright car headlights actually bother your eyes with the pain?

Eye experts say that the strong bright car lights that appear in your way at night suddenly dazzle your eyes so much that you can't see anything for a few seconds before your eyes recover and get used to the new lights. 

This phenomenon is called ‘disability glare which actually impairs your vision in oncoming traffic.

Why are your eyes so sensitive to bright car headlights all of a sudden?

Why Do Bright Car Headlights at Night Cause Pain in Your Eyes?

What Causes Glare While Driving at Night?

The motor industry is constantly proud of how it has improved car lighting performance to keep you safe.

Meanwhile, eye experts say the downside is that the strong bright car lights that appear in your way at night suddenly dazzle your eyes so much that you can't see anything for a few seconds before your eyes recover and get used to the new lights. This actually affects your vision in oncoming traffic.

At the same time, as the driver's lifespan decreases, the eye lens and cornea are effectively blurred, and as bright light shines through them, drivers suffer something called 'disability glare'.

Glare while driving at night occurs as a result of both bright and dim lights and due to a reduction in the contrast of images brought on by dim lighting

Although many researchers have long blamed some car manufacturers for their strong and bright lights and marketing them as a commercial advantage. 

However, researchers recently revealed that some people were affected by these lights, which may also be attributed to aging.

With the development of lights used in the auto industry over the past decades, new types have emerged stronger and brighter than before.

According to researchers at the University College London, the effect of light on the eyes increases with age, due to the dispersion of light when entering the eyes, as with age, the clarity of the lens and the cornea of the eye decreases, causing light to disperse them when entering the eye to spread around and inside, making images that the person sees appear blurry and distorted.

At night, the pupil expands to allow more light to enter, making the dispersion of light from the eye larger at night hours, thereby increasing the chance of lack of vision, when exposed to bright light in what is scientifically called disability glare, which means temporary blindness resulting from exposure to bright light for a period that may extend to 10 seconds.

According to researchers at The University of Vienna in Austria, the bright light may cause - except temporary blindness - an actual feeling of pain in the eyes, somewhat similar to the pain caused by joint stress excessively, which may cause the subject to close the eyes in response to the brain without thinking, and thus may cause many traffic accidents.

It is worth noting that the changes that affect the eye with age occur even in healthy eyes and that there are no health problems in them, such as changes in the clarity of the cornea and lens.

The researchers suggest that the driver should wear special medical glasses equipped with a barrier that absorbs the eye's UV rays, thus mitigating possible traffic accidents as a result of bright lights at night.

How to Reduce Glare While Driving at Night

To reduce glare, minimize challenges of driving at night and stay safe on the roads at night, try the following tips:

• Clean your headlights.
• Adjust your rearview mirror.
• Adjust your speed to the reach of your headlights.
• Keep your eyes moving.
• Look to the right and at the sides of objects.
• Avoid being blinded by oncoming high beams.
• Avoid using lights inside your vehicle, which temporarily can impair your vision at night.
• Ask your doctor about anti-glare glasses.
• Protect your eyes from glare and wear eye protection during the day.
• Wear eye protection during the day.