Symptoms of visual discomfort from automobile lights and their correlation with headache in night-time taxi drivers

Abstract

This study examined how modern vehicle lights affect night-time taxi drivers and the relationships any effects have with headache. Sixty-eight drivers were asked about their perception of flicker, blurring, seeing double, smearing, glare, blinding, unease, discomfort, pain and headache/migraine from vehicle lights when driving at night. Participants were asked specifically about light emitting diodes, but responses may have included their experiences with other vehicle light types. Glare was the greatest problem, and red braking lights were worse than white lights around headlights. The headache group experienced greater problems, particularly for discomfort, pain, unease, flickering, seeing double and triggered headaches. Further research is needed as these effects pose potentially dangerous scenarios for all night-time road users, especially given the increased use of bright, directional light emitting diodes on vehicles and on roadsides.