Do I have an issue with my eyes ? The Motorway cats eyes at M6 junction 13 S send my eyes crazy.
Posted by jasonc619@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 9 comments
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Pedantichrist@reddit
LED lights (which these are) flash on and off very fast. If you are in a room with cheap LEDs and move your hand back and forth really fast, you will see a trail of hands, as the rapid strobe picks up your hand intermittently (but very fast).
What you are describing sounds like a mixture of cheaper to run LEDs, with a lower flash rate, and fast driving, resulting in seeing a trail of dots, rather than a blur.
QuestionForAnswers@reddit
If it's just LED's it's likely to do with persistence of vision and saccadic masking - some people are more sensitive to it than others (I notice the same thing).
But if you've not had an eye-test done in the last few years get one done - and mention it to the optician.
seven-cents@reddit
Cat's Eyes (reflective road studs) are not powered by LEDs, they're reflective
QuestionForAnswers@reddit
LED cat’s eyes, also known as active solar road studs (frequently using Clearview Intelligence technology), have been installed in various high-risk and high-traffic locations across the UK to enhance safety.
See here.
Some have been installed on the M6, not sure of the junctions though.
seven-cents@reddit
Wow! Thanks, I had no idea they even existed!
I just searched and it seems that they have indeed been installed on the M6 between junctions 12 and 13:
https://www.saferhighways.co.uk/post/national-highways-details-clearview-solar-road-stud-solution-in-staffordshire
seven-cents@reddit
It could also be a weird combination of the exact height of your car, seat and your height + the particular angle of the reflectors on that stretch of road and the angle of your headlight beams that are causing the light from the headlights to reflect directly onto the back of your retinas and dazzling you.
Try dipping your headlights down slightly using the dip controls (usually a little wheel on the dashboard to the right hand side of your steering wheel). Don't "increase" the dip level if you have modern LED headlights please or you'll dazzle oncoming drivers even more than those things already do!
jimicus@reddit
Is it something like this?
https://emeraldpointeyecare.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Blog-images-61.png
That's astigmatism.
Current_Thing2244@reddit
Make an opticians appointment and ask about astigmatism. Believe it or not, it's quite common not to be diagnosed until adulthood because it can start out very mild and get more pronounced with age.
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