Why are some lights seemingly not flickering when I’m looking right at them, but they are when it’s in the corner of my eye ?

Question

It’s usually only with the cheaper led bulbs. I can’t convince others that I’m only seeing it flicker when not directly looking at it.

In: Biology

Answer 1

It has to do with the structure of the human eye and the nature of peripheral vision.

The light is flickering all the time, even when you’re looking straight at it, but peripheral vision is much better at detecting flicker and motion than the focal point of your eye. That’s why you can notice the flicker when it’s off to the side, but the light appears to smooth out as you focus on it.