Personally, I dont think the strobe lights cause any distress to the eyes from even a short distance away, but that's just me. So whilst waiting to taxi, if another aicraft was in close proximity, it really wouldn't cause a noticeable problem for me, other than the fact that I can see them better, which obviously aint a problem. The only time I never look directly at them is whilst doing the walkaround, as that would be stupid. As far as my extremely limited experience goes, even in the brightest of days, you can still see the strobes, which all aids to safety IMEHO
