Blinded By Car Headlights - Unusual problem?

[Squiffy_The_Wombat]

Hey All,

I live in the countryside and comute to town daily during the vamps hours! This has puzzled me for years!

On the backroads whenever a car comes towards me i have to slow down to the pace of a snail as i loose my vision in a haze of halogen light! I then have to strain to see whats going on! Its like when you have a greesey visor and get the "starfield" effect from a brightlight but this will happen to my eyes even when the visor is up!

Ive kinda adapted my riding to suit over the years so it doesnt really phase me but was wondering if anybody could explain whats going on? (ive tried wearing those gay yellow old man specs and that just made it worse!)

Intresting to see if anybody else has found this or found a cure after all these years!

Toby
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Squiffy_The_Wombat
Eagles may soar but wombats dont get sucked into jet engines

[Mjolnir]

A mate of mine told me about how he was coming back home down some country roads on his Honda Benly (this was back in the day) when a car coming the other way with main beam on blinded him. He could't see anything for a good few seconds as the car passed him, started to slow, and as he went around the next bend he ran straight into a parked Vauxhall Viva.

The bike embedded itself in the boot of the car and stayed standing up whilst he went straight over the roof and landed breaking both arms. he had to knock on the door of the house who's car he ran into using his head luckily the woman who answered was a nurse and patched him up a bit before the ambulance came for him.

Your not the only person to be blinded by cars and your well in the right to slow down as they go past if you can't see

[Squiffy_The_Wombat]

OUCH! Poor guy, at least he was alright though!

And yeah the only plus really is that because its night you can always see the beam approaching round a bend! Its the gits who dont dip their lights for bikes that annoy me!
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Squiffy_The_Wombat
Eagles may soar but wombats dont get sucked into jet engines

[firefox]

[stinkwheel]

I get the same. I find you can check for any deviations in the road by watching where the approaching car went before it got to you.

My last bike had a set of 'enforcer' lights (as I like to call them). 185w of conical beam from twin, 7" Cibie spots. The 100w one was directed straight down the middle of the road as my full beam. Any fucker too ignorant to dip their lights got that bad boy straight in the face for a count of three and would be able to see nothing but green for the next ten minutes.

[Mjolnir]

Nice idea, perhaps you could bring it up to date by coupling it with some sort of turret mounted cannon to take out their lights (and tyres, and faces) too. Too much?

[wilbur]

[stinkwheel]

[NSR-Rulez]

when riding at night i tend to look at something else other than the lights of oncoming cars.

Have you tried looking at the line to the left of your lane, i find that helps and you dont go off line as you know the way the road flows due to the curve of the line.

Pete
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Past: 1985 Suzuki GS 125 + 2002 Honda NSR 125 R-2 + Ford Fusion
Present: Honda CBR 600 RR-5 + Suzuki SV650S-K4 + Mitsubishi FTO GPX

[Ariel Badger]

I hate the twats on full beam behind you that seem to think your mirrors will not work in the dark.
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Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[veeeffarr]

I get this too

[Finglonga]

[keyser soze]

handy tip:


if you see the cars lights from around the corner (hedge) just close one eye till they have gone past and then reopen you'll have your night vision back quicker in fact you dont loose it at all no blinding light.

but just remember just close one eye

[jimbothe]

Is there not a helmet visor that cuts down the effects of 'night lights'?

I have a pair of those ambervision sunglasses for driving and have used them a couple of times under my helmet when night riding and they seem to work pretty well.
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[yambabe]

Nyctalopia, or night-blindness, is actually a medically-recognised proper condition!

There can be a number of causes, if it's something that comes on suddenly it could be an early symptom of vitamin A deficiency in your diet and you need to increase your intake - carrots have lots of vitamin A, hence the reason that the old wives tale about seeing better in the dark if you eat lots of carrots is partly true!

However it can also be inherited, with 2 common genetic linkages.

In males it tends to be present in guys who also have some degree of colour-blindness during the day too and is caused by incorrect rod function.

In females it's to do with X-chromasomes and tends to show up in people who are exretemely myopic (short sighted).

Google it, it's quite interesting. (Well I thought it was but then I am a bit of an anorak! )

I've had it for years, not only do I suffer more from the after-effects of oncoming lights but also my peripheral vision deteriorates markedly in the dark.

I also have difficulty judging the distances and speeds of lights approaching me or behind me and showing in my mirrors. I get round it by only riding or driving in the dark when I absolutely have to, and going much slower than usual when I am out. Well-lit areas aren't too much of a problem but once you get out and about it can get pretty scary!
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Sod falling in love, I wanna fall in chocolate.

[Squiffy_The_Wombat]

WOW....i never expected so many replies, i thought it was just me!

1samarg... i dont surpose you can remmber what these visors were called or where to get one? Sounds very intresting!

Loving all the ideas of blinding people with a billion watt lights, i am in the process of fitting some spotlights, i just have to get some brackets fabbed up!

Closing one eye...yeah thats a classic "dont loose your night vision" thing but personally i would rather have both eyes open while riding.

Babyyam, VERY VERY INTRESTING, THANKYOU!!!!!!! My father also suffers badly with this, much more so than i do! Quite possibly genetics have a role to play here! I have also been told im low on certain vitamins within my diet so this would tie in perfectly with a vitamin definacy!

I dont get "after effects" from the lights but my prehiperal vision is definatly screwed. Im not colour blind although i do have a slight stigma on my right eye, i wonder if this has anything to do with it!

Im going to go on a goggle mission tonight to see what i can find! (im a geek too, its a good thing! ) and will post anything relavent i find in this thread!
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Squiffy_The_Wombat
Eagles may soar but wombats dont get sucked into jet engines

[Mark312]

'spose this is where my optician training should be put to good use.

Might be a good idea to have an eye test. If you are borderline for wearing glasses and choose not to, the extra blur induced could spread out the light patch in front of you, further obscuring your vision. If you would benefit from wearing specs, ask for an anti-reflection coating on your lenses, which noticeably reduces distracting reflections on your lenses, and improved contrast. As you mentioned, if you have astigmatism, this can lead to uncorrected blur which may be better corrected with specs. Worth a try if it makes you safer. (Ask the optician to send me a commission payment...)

Hats off to Babyyam. Try drinking more and research which green veg you can eat which contain carotenes that the body converts to Vitamin A.

As for riding with one eye shut, this should help a little if you can train yourself to judge distance and speed monocularly which can be a little unsettling at first. However, the danger of misjudging this can not be underestimated, so practice where it is safer.

My technique is to look to the near side of the road, so I can judge the line of the bend or straight without looking at the oncoming headlights.
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[Finglonga]

[jimbothe]

[Squiffy_The_Wombat]

1samarg, can i ask where you got yours from? (i bet they look well silly dont they?)

Fling- Thanks loads for the info. I will book an eye test on monday, ive not had one for awhile so thats also a very good idea! I never really noticed any difference when i used to ride with glasses, then harry potter came out and i was eternally mocked for looking like him so stopped wearing them! silly really but true!

Im not sure about Nyctalopia, my googling was a little confusing but the several beers inside me might of been the reason! It seems tho that it happens more so to women, and although both my parents suffer this condition my symptoms dont seem to fit entirely. As it happens ive got to see the doc soon so thought i might ask him too!

As for the whole one eye thing, im sure its possible but ive ridden safely using my currant technique of nearside watching for quite a few years now, it would just be MORE PLEASANT if i could reduce the glare!
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Squiffy_The_Wombat
Eagles may soar but wombats dont get sucked into jet engines

[jimbothe]

[magpiemale]

I am glad someone else finds other peoples head lights alarmingly bright even I have this problem I cannot tell with the new lights out there on the market if the cars have the ordinary beam on or the full beam esp the ones that make you think its police lights flashing when its just a something car,coming at you my eyes are okay I have just had them done I have glasses but she said do not wear them if you do not need to.I have found putting a light reactive tint on the visor cuts this down a lot.I can still see in the dark as it is not overly dark on the tint,so I have a pro-lens on the visor makes my riding better and safer how much brighter can cars lights get I wonder and also are they truly aligned I bet over half of cars lights are in the wrong position <beam that is>

[wristjob]

i have the belief that there are a good many people who should not be allowed to drive/ride at night. i know a few people who cant judge how far from the kerb they are .or people who brake when something comes towards them.
i also know that alot of people whine about bright lights and then stare directly at them.
i still think there should be a very strict eye test (including night vision)before you are allowed any kind of licence.
so if you cant see at night you should be kept off the roads at night.

[djneu-trix]

i think you should stop yanking ya plank so often!

because that make you go blind

try focus to the left more thats what i do. i.e. road line or edge of road!

its all the chavs in the rs focus's/sr nova's etc that have these XENON MEGA BRIGHT lights that cost £300 quid and dont actually light the road up any more than normal headlights that i find to be the problem!

i dont have a problem personally with just lights, but when the buggers have got full beems on it does tend to make me slow a lil.
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pg

[djneu-trix]

i think you should stop yanking ya plank so often!

because that make you go blind

try focus to the left more thats what i do. i.e. road line or edge of road!

its all the chavs in the rs focus's/sr nova's etc that have these XENON MEGA BRIGHT lights that cost £300 quid and dont actually light the road up any more than normal headlights that i find to be the problem!

i dont have a problem personally with just lights, but when the buggers have got full beems on it does tend to make me slow a lil.
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pg