Dan Fixes Coin-OpsNov 19, 2023

If you're in the US and you've also been idly wondering why "I don't like to drive at night" has become such a common thing to say in the past few years, stand near to a modern LED streetlamp and block it with your hand. In about two thirds of a second, the whole road brightens up as your pupils open.

You're not just getting old; between over-bright streetlights, over-bright headlights of oncoming cars, over-bright instrument clusters, over-bright porch lighting, nobody can see in the dark anymore.

Just in the last decade we've made it much harder and more dangerous to drive at night. Oh, and we also gave up the stars.

Show threadJanuary
@ifixcoinops I keep hoping for good night driving glasses that will just... cap the brightness they let through to some maximum value
This is probably not how physics works but I can dream
Nov 19, 2023 at 1:46amWeb
Show threadDan Fixes Coin-OpsNov 19, 2023
@codicil wondering about maybe wearing a baseball cap at night
Show threadJulie WebgirlNov 19, 2023
@ifixcoinops @codicil
I flip my visor down and push it up against the windshield during the day because the sun/sky glare bothers me. I leave it at night too because it blocks the street light glare.
Show threadChookMother 🇦🇺🦘Nov 19, 2023
@codicil @ifixcoinops Well you can get spectacle lenses that do this for day vision, why not talk to an optometrist about what's avaiable?
Show threadFrost「｜霜の狼｜人面獣心」Nov 19, 2023
@anne_twain @codicil @ifixcoinops I think day vision ones just turn dark when exposed to light? That wouldn't help much here where the problem is too high contrast (you need to cut the bright but not the dark).
Show threadChookMother 🇦🇺🦘Nov 19, 2023
@frost @codicil @ifixcoinops In any case an optometrist should be able to advise.
Show threadnjwattNov 19, 2023
@codicil @ifixcoinops Those yellow old man sunglasses made a huge difference for me on a recent nighttime road trip
Show threadericattyNov 19, 2023
@njwatt @codicil @ifixcoinops Those yellow ones are what I'm considering. I used to have a nice pair when I rode a motorcycle and I was surprised to find they worked so well in low light situations. I lost them a long time ago, but between already being light sensitive and astigmatism, and getting older, I want something to help regulate the light fluctuations at night. I generally keep the lights dim at home at night, unless I'm cooking or something like that.
Show threadMre. Dartigen [maker mode]Nov 20, 2023

@codicil @ifixcoinops Yellow-tinted polarized sunglasses. They're not easy to find, but they're out there - or, if you normally wear glasses, ask your optometrist if they can do a pair for you. (Brown tint is probably too dark for night-time.)

Night-driving glasses are getting more and more popular though. Which speaks to the scale of the problem.

Show threadJanuaryNov 20, 2023
@dartigen @ifixcoinops have you tried these? I had a pair that didn't work at all, but they were dollar store quality so I might just need to spend a little more
Show threadMre. Dartigen [maker mode]Nov 20, 2023

@codicil @ifixcoinops I've had pretty much the same experience with a very, very cheap pair that weren't polarized - they were better than nothing, but didn't do much for the aggressive LEDs.

But at the time it was virtually impossible to get yellow tint *and* polarized, and I found that brown tint was far too dark. I'm seeing a lot more now in yellow tint and polarized (sometimes with anti-reflective coating too) though, and really good reviews of a few.

Show threadHoward Chu @ SymasNov 20, 2023
@dartigen @codicil @ifixcoinops sounds like the Blu-Blockers brand. I had a pair but have long since misplaced them.