Car headlights are putting our lives in danger, says an eye doctor
Telegraph
23-05-16 14:12
The increasing use of cheaper, ultra-bright LED headlights in cars is causing problems for older drivers. The headlights, which emit a cooler, brighter light and have steadily replaced halogen bulbs, have been blamed for an increase in car accidents due to headlight glare. A recent survey found that 91% of motorists believe headlights are too bright. Professor Shahina Pardhan, a qualified optometrist, and director of the Vision and Eye Research Institute at Anglia Ruskin University, has identified the increasing number of high-sided SUVs causing problems due to the level and angle of their headlights.
Drivers with eye conditions such as cataracts, which cause a clouding in the lens of the eye, are particularly vulnerable, they face even more visual difficulties when the LED light hits the eye and gets bounced around. The long wait for cataract surgery has been shown to make patients more likely to stop driving at night. Other eye conditions which affect the cornea may also make drivers more vulnerable to glare.