Don’t worry. If you have never experienced a seizure before, know that this is a rare condition. It’s even rare among people with epilepsy! But you may be curious why these warnings exist. Let’s discuss photosensitive epilepsy and why flashing lights may cause seizures.

Why Do Flashing Lights Cause Seizures?What is a Seizure?Your Brain and Flashing LightsHow Many People Have Seizures Because of Flashing Lights?How Long Does a Seizure Last?Can Photosensitive Epilepsy Be Treated?What To Do If Someone Is Having a Seizure Around You

Why Do Flashing Lights Cause Seizures?

What is a Seizure?

Your Brain and Flashing Lights

How Many People Have Seizures Because of Flashing Lights?

How Long Does a Seizure Last?

Can Photosensitive Epilepsy Be Treated?

What To Do If Someone Is Having a Seizure Around You

Flashing lights cause seizures because the neurons that respond to these stimuli overreact. Certain light patterns may also put people at risk of feeling sick or dizzy for the same reason. Their neurons send out an unfavorable response to that stimuli.

You may be surprised to learn that one in ten people will experience a seizure at some point in their lifetime. However, experiencing a seizure does not necessarily mean that an individual has epilepsy. To put this in perspective,approximately 1.2% of the U.S. population has been diagnosed with epilepsy, with 0.6% being children. This statistic helps clarify that while seizures can be common, chronic conditions like epilepsy are less so.

A seizure occurs when the neurons of the brainfire off uncontrolled signalsto the rest of the body.

A neuron’s job is to fire off signals, but usually, these signals help us form “normal” responses. For example, we may squint at the sight of the sun or recall a memory at the sight of something we hadn’t seen in a while. When too many neurons fire at once, they cause the body to respond in unintentional and sometimes harmful ways.

Not all seizures look the same. Grand mal seizures may look like the “typical” seizures you see on television. The person having the seizure loses consciousness, and various body parts twitch and jerk. But there are other types of seizures in which the person appears to “zone out.”

It may come as a surprise to discover that one out of every ten individuals will experience a seizure at some point. However, it’s important to note that this does not imply that one in ten people have epilepsy.

Seizures may happen for a variety of reasons:

Seizures may also happen “randomly.” There is still a lot that scientists don’t know about seizures, and it is hard to study seizures when they do happen randomly.

When a person experiences multiple seizures, they may be diagnosed with epilepsy. People who have seizures due to flashing lights have “photosensitive epilepsy.”

Our neurons are firing constantly as the brain processes the visual stimuli in front of us. Our eyes, particularly the rods and cones receptors in the retina, convert light and shadows into neural signals. Rods are more numerous and are responsible for vision at low light levels, while cones are less abundant but are crucial for detecting color and fine detail. These two types of photoreceptor cells work together to interpret the visual world in varying lighting conditions.

For individuals with photosensitive epilepsy, the rapid and constant changes in light intensity can be overwhelming. The usual process of light conversion and signal transmission, which involves rods and cones adapting to the fluctuations, becomes an intensive task. In those susceptible, this intense neural activity is enough to trigger a seizure.

Interestingly, while flashing lights can pose a risk for seizures in some, they may also serve as a therapeutic tool for others.Research into Alzheimer’s diseasehas explored the possibility that using light to stimulate brain activity could prevent the buildup of harmful plaques that cause cognitive decline. This suggests that under controlled conditions, targeted light stimulation may potentially fortify certain neural pathways and help maintain cognitive function.

Photosensitive epilepsy affects 3% of all people who experience epilepsy. That’s approximately one in 10,000 people. Children are more likely to experience photosensitive epilepsy (and epilepsy in general).

Seizures may last as little as 30 seconds but generally last up to two minutes. A seizure that lasts for more than five minutes is considered a medical emergency and requires immediate attention.

Some people do grow out of a seizure disorder over time, but no one cure can be universally applied to all people experiencing seizures. Fortunately, some medications can prevent all types of seizures.

Case Study: The Pokémon Episode Incident

An illustrative example of flashing lights inducing seizures is the 1997 Pokémon episode incident in Japan. The episode in question, “Dennou Senshi Porigon,” featured a scene with rapidly flashing lights that resulted in 618 children being taken to hospitals with symptoms ranging from nausea and headaches to seizures. This mass event led to the widespread acknowledgment of the potential dangers associated with flashing images, particularly in individuals with photosensitive epilepsy (PSE).

However, this case also opened discussions on the psychological aspects of seizure-like events. Research indicated that many reported symptoms were atypical for PSE, which classically includes drooling, stiffness, and loss of consciousness. The phenomenon’s scale was also inconsistent with the estimated prevalence of PSE, which affects approximately 0.02% of the population.

The Pokémon panic is a cautionary tale on the effects of flashing lights on the brain and underscores the importance of content warnings. It also demonstrates the need for careful epidemiological and psychological assessment following such events to discern between direct neurological reactions and socially induced responses.

There is no way that you can tell a person’s neurons to stop firing or fire at a less intense rate. What you can do is make sure they are safe and calm during and after their seizure occurs.

If a person is experiencing a seizure at a concert or while watching television,gently help them to the floor. Clear the area of sharp objects and put something soft under their head. It may also help to put the person on their side. Remove their glasses and anything that may put them at risk (e.g., a tight tie, a spiky bracelet, etc.)

It is an old wives' tale that says a person may swallow their tongue during a seizure. Do not try to hold a person’s tongue or put anything in their mouth during the seizure. They don’t need mouth-to-mouth, either!

Once you know the person is safe, check for a medical bracelet. These bracelets may offer more information on whether this person has a seizure disorder.

Flashing lights may be one cause of seizures, but knowing what to do and why this occurs is crucial to keeping people safe. Be sure, if you are hosting an event with strobe lights, to let people know they are at risk!

Reference this article:Practical Psychology. (2022, April).Why Do Flashing Lights Cause Seizures?.Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/why-do-flashing-lights-cause-seizures/.Practical Psychology. (2022, April). Why Do Flashing Lights Cause Seizures?. Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/why-do-flashing-lights-cause-seizures/.Copy

Reference this article:

Practical Psychology. (2022, April).Why Do Flashing Lights Cause Seizures?.Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/why-do-flashing-lights-cause-seizures/.Practical Psychology. (2022, April). Why Do Flashing Lights Cause Seizures?. Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/why-do-flashing-lights-cause-seizures/.Copy

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