IdeaPad P500 screen went dim

I've searched around these forums and not been able to find a solution for my problem.  Here's the whole story.

I've had my IdeaPad Notebook P500 for over a year, and rarely had an issue with it.  Today, I accidently touched the F11 key, which happens to be the "Brightness minus" key. 

Immediately, the screen went very dim, to the point where it actually hurts my eyes to be typing this. 

I can adjust the brightness sliders up and down on the screen, using both the F11/F12 keys and the slider box available from the "Brightness" selection under "Settings".  Even though the sliders go up and down, the screen stays the same very dark level.

Windows 8 64-bit is my OS.

I have uninstalled and re-installed the Intel HD driver.

I have shut down the laptop and turned it back on while holding the F12 (Brightness plus) button.  Yes, it sounds crazy but someone mentioned it on another thread so I figured what the hell.  It was useless, though.

I have rebooted several times.

 www.raminfotechlaptopservice.in