Age and Glare Recovery Time for Low-Contrast Stimuli

The purpose of this study was to obtain a rigorous experimental estimate of the time required to recover from the deleterious effects of glare. Low contrast test stimuli were employed to increase the potential sensitivity of the procedure. Multiple age groups were sampled since susceptibility to glare effects is known to increase with advancing years. Glare recovery time assessments were collected from 12 young, 12 middle-aged and 16 older adults. Subjects were presented with 10 sec exposures to an intense glare source under highly controlled experimental conditions. Upon the offset of the glare exposure period, the time required to regain sensitivity for low contrast test stimuli was measured. Relative to their younger counterparts, older subjects required 3-times longer to recover from glare exposure. These findings suggest that the dynamic components of glare effects must be considered when designing environments especially where older observers involved.