Homeowner bewildered by neighbor's aggressive choice of outdoor lighting: 'Mine do the same'

When your neighbor's porch light is so bright that it's reminiscent of the Eye of Sauron from the Lord of the Rings series, you know you have a light pollution issue on your hands. Unfortunately, this Reddit post shows an example of such an extreme light shining right onto their property at night.

The second photo seems less like a light coming from a porch and more like the sun in a night sky or space. As one commenter wrote, "Damn you're not kidding!" The original poster noted that after complaining to their landlord, the only fix made was changing the formerly blue light to a different color.

Pollution goes beyond making something dirty. It can involve disturbances to the senses, such as keeping lights on at the wrong time — especially intensely bright ones. Humans and most other creatures have a circadian rhythm that non-stop illumination can throw off. From 2011 to 2022, artificial lights have made the night skies brighter by 9.6% annually, according to the National Park Service.

Late artificial light exposure later can result in over 10 times more nocturnal awakenings and a reduction in slow-wave sleep, according to the PubMed study Linking Light Exposure and Subsequent Sleep: A Field Polysomnography Study in Humans. That slow-wave sleep is your deepest and most restorative sleep phase, essential for memory, growth hormones, and tissue repair.

It's not just a problem for the perpetrator's light bill and neighbor's deep sleep — wildlife also takes a hit. Bees, pollinators essential to the food chain, have experienced disrupted sleep cycles that affect their ability to navigate, communicate with the hive, and remember food locations. Without pollination, plants die off from the lack of fertilization, creating another chain reaction by reducing pollinator habitats.

One commenter humorously suggested, "A mirror will help."

The OP isn't alone with this issue as another person relates, "Dude are u my f****** neighbors? Cuz mine do the same."

Another advised, "Seems like you need to be specific when you talk to the landlord again — the color is not the issue, it's that it's AIMED incorrectly."

As noted, the neighbor can be more mindful of aiming the yard light — direct it into their own backyard, not someone else's. However, a better solution is to use motion sensors or timers so the light only comes on as needed or shuts off at an appropriate hour.

Should HOAs be able to force homeowners to change their yards? Absolutely not 💯 Yes — it's part of the deal 🤝 Only in extreme circumstances 🏚️ We should ban HOAs 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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