Ottawa Now - What makes today's headlights so tough to look at, and what can be done to turn the lights down

Modern headlights are brighter than ever before, allowing for better visibility for both the driver and for passing vehicles. At the same time, the use of xenon and LED lights, as opposed to the longtime incandescent ones, aren’t as easy on the eyes. And a growing number of drivers have been very vocal about those cons, as Transport Canada is collecting a wide range of responses on its website until April 20th. Vancouver City Council is calling on the feds to set more precise and enforceable restrictions on headlight brightness, beam pattern, and mounting height. Earlier this Winter, a Gatineau man submitted a petition to the House of Commons about this exact matter. And even in the United States, it’s created quite the stir, as Democratic Representative Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez took this debate to Capitol Hill last year. Have today's headlights become too harsh? What, if anything, can be done to rectify this problem? Dr. Ralph Chou is a Professor Emeritus in Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Waterloo, and an editor-in-chief for the Canadian Journal of Optometry. He joins Kristy Cameron on today’s Ottawa Now.