If you feel like you are constantly blinded while driving at night Now you’re not alone, and it’s not just because a few truck bros ordered aftermarket LED headlights from Amazon that they installed themselves. There’s certainly some of that, along with the assholes who use their psychics all the time, but Headlights have really become more dazzling in recent years. The good news is, as the video below explains, there are a few things you can do to make driving at night a little less miserable.
As Cory Boone, an optical engineer, explains, driving at night already puts you at a disadvantage because your pupils dilate to let in more light. This is good for seeing better in the dark, but it also worsens any vision problems such as nearsightedness or astigmatism. It also affects your sense of concentration. There’s also no denying that high-riding vehicles like trucks and large SUVs have their headlights positioned further above the ground, increasing the likelihood of blinding other drivers.
Part of the problem is the headlights themselves. While older headlight designs emit a yellowish light, modern LED headlights are significantly whiter or bluer. Even though they aren’t technically brighter than the old headlights, your eyes interpret white and blue light as brighter or brighter than yellow light. The shorter wavelength of this blue light also scatters up to 16 times more strongly in your eyeballs than a longer wavelength color like red. That’s one of the reasons why when driving at night you see other drivers’ lights different from yours solve.
Ultimately, regulations need to change to allow for more advanced headlights that are less blinding. Until then, however, Boone says there are a few things you can do to minimize nighttime glare. The first is to wash the windshield regularly, as dirt and other debris on the windshield causes the light to scatter even more than it would otherwise. If you wear glasses, the same goes for keeping your lenses clean. You should also make sure your glasses have an anti-reflective coating, which is more expensive, but if it reduces glare it’s probably worth it.
Another option is to increase the brightness of your dashboard lights. This should cause your pupils to constrict, which should improve your night vision somewhat. He also recommends taking supplements like lutein and zeaxanthin to improve eye health.
One of the most effective measures you can possibly take is perhaps the most annoying: If you wear glasses or contact lenses, have your eyes checked annually to make sure your prescription is up to date. You may not feel like you need new glasses, but if Biden wasn’t president at your last eye exam, your night driving problems might be improved by new glasses. Especially if there are copies with the anti-reflective coating mentioned above.
Unfortunately, a clean windshield, new glasses, and a slightly brighter dashboard are unlikely to completely eliminate the glare from other people’s headlights, but you can at least try a few of these tips and see if they help.