Your "before" photo is typically what happens when you try to put too bright a bulb in a US DOT housing. The lens was not designed for a bulb that's so bright or positioned so close to the lens. All that happens is you blind oncoming cars and you don't get much more illumination down the road where you need it. It's important to buy a housing/lens that's designed for the bulb that's in it. ECE (European) lenses have a much sharper (and lower) cut-off than US DOT lenses. I'm not aware of any countries in continental Europe where they drive on the opposite side of the road but I don't think it makes a difference. I think even the UK uses ECE headlamps.
I'm told the reason for the difference in headlamp lens design between the US and Europe is that US road signs are much higher than European road signs. US headlamps therefore, need to direct light higher on the right side of the vehicle. In order to prevent blinding oncoming traffic, the lenses are more diffused and they make us use bulbs with less wattage. Officially, ECE headlamps are illegal in the USA but I've never heard of anyone actually getting ticketed for having them. They don't blind oncoming traffic, as long as they're aimed properly, and they don't generate as much glare as DOT headlamps. They're legal in Canada though. I do know an importer who had a shipment of OEM Mercedes and Audi ECE headlamps confiscated by the DOT in the '80's!!!
Most of the aftermarket LED headlamps I've seen have lenses much more toward the ECE design than US DOT. As with most other things, you get what you pay for.