When wearing thick eyeglasses as a child, then thick hard contacts as a teen and adult, very bright light bothered me more than it did for those with no glasses. It was like my “correction” concentrated the light into a blinding narrow laser-like beam of assault, aimed right at my sensitive eyes.
Even though I don’t wear glasses or contacts any longer, and greatly enjoy the Bates practice of sunning, driving directly into bright sunlight remains a strain on my visual system. This time of year in the Northeast USA where I live the sun rises late and sets early. Also, our usual humidity which softens the glare has disappeared in this drier season, so going out early to drive south, facing directly into the low sun, can be quite a visual challenge.
Yes, I keep my windshield clean, as otherwise it seems every tiny speck of dust casts a shadow, interfering with the visibility even more. I use my visors constantly, moving them to the side when I go around a curve, then placing them back in front of me, making sure to keep my posture vertical and my neck loose, not twisting myself. What else could I be missing?
A few days ago I had some early errands, and thought I’d get out before the rush-hour traffic. The sun was just over the horizon and very bright, making my short familiar drive to the grocery store challenging, since it was difficult to see well. As I left the store parking lot, the sun was still pretty low in the sky, and I decided to go straight home rather than push myself to do my other errands, which could wait for another day. I was relieved with my decision (though I felt like a bit of a wimp), and wondered again why this visual task was so difficult and stressful for me.
On the way home, what felt like a big insight dropped into my head. When I was born, my mother was screaming so loudly, she had to be drugged, then I was pulled out with forceps. I’ve always wondered if that did something to my head which constricted my vision. Also, loud noises startle me more than most people I know, especially high-pitched ones like a woman’s scream. And (the new insight) the operating room lights were probably very bright as I came from complete darkness! Could this possibly be the root of my fear of bright lights?
Back home safely now, I did some palming to settle my visual brain from the drive, then some EFT on my imagination of the birth experience, specifically the bright lights in my new-to-the-planet eyes. I felt calmer afterwards, and will remember this the next time I have to drive into the sun. Lots of blinking is required, yes, and the most important thing to see well in any conditions is to stay relaxed. If you react illogically to something that isn’t truly dangerous, it’s worth investigating what could be underneath that.
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I wore strong glasses, then contact lenses, from age 5 into my 40s. While making many mistakes, eventually l learned how to improve the way I use my eyes and to see in a more relaxed, healthy manner. It is my pleasure to coach others to do the same. Visit me at https://NancyLNeff.com.