What Are Halos and Glare? What Causes Light Scatter?

Seeing rings around headlights at night or lights appearing brighter and more scattered than usual is an experience many people have.

These complaints are generally described as “halos” and “glare”.

People who are dissatisfied with their night vision frequently encounter these terms.

What Are Halos?

Halos are ring-shaped images seen around light sources.

For example:

Seeing bright rings around these light sources is described as halos.

Some people describe this as a “circle” around the light.

Glare is an uncomfortable sensation of brightness caused by light.

The person can see the light, but it also reduces visual comfort.

Oncoming headlights may cause glare, particularly when driving at night.

No.

Although they are related, they are not the same concept.

Halos refer mainly to rings around lights, while glare describes an uncomfortable sensation of brightness.

However, in daily life many people may experience both at the same time.

There can be many different causes:

For this reason, the cause may differ from person to person.

No.

In some situations, they may be temporary.

Particularly with ocular surface problems or during postoperative adaptation, they may decrease over time.

However, the cause of the complaint should always be assessed.

Yes.

Some people may have high visual acuity but still feel that their quality of vision is reduced at night.

For this reason, modern eye treatment considers not only visual acuity but also quality of vision.

Halos and glare are common complaints that can affect night vision and visual comfort.

The cause of these symptoms may vary from person to person.

What matters is not only how much you can see, but how comfortably and clearly you can see under different lighting conditions.