Flashing lights, red lights,etc

[dfwtexas]

I have noticed I start feeling strange if I look at a flashing light. I just came back from visiting in TN and notice they have red lights with a strobe effect. I was shocked that that is legal but saw them all over the state. Those lights came very close to triggering a seizure and got where I never looked at them (no, I was not driving at the time).
The techician that did my EEG said that flashing lights triggering seizures is not common...is that true?

[RobinN]

I can't really answer your question, as lights don't seem to have an effect on my daughter. However, I wanted to respond as common or not, if it tends to bother you, then it is something that you need to be aware of. If you fall into the 2% of the group that has difficulty in one area, doesn't seem to me that you should be concerned with the 98% that don't.
Keep a journal.

I was thinking about light sensitivity for myself recently. When I use to have migraine, sudden sunlight really could do a number on me. For a few years I have not been bothered. This past July 4th celebration, I was terribly bothered by the fireworks. Both the brightness and the noise. I have been considering why. I am going to make sure I am getting the amount of magnesium that my body needs and see if that helps.
I think it is good to have these warning signals that something is amiss.

[speber]

...as we have to take special care on the forum here for our photosensitive viewers.

Granted, there's a large concentration of folks with epilepsy vieing this forum....but the 'percentage' of folks who consider flashing lights disturbing is NOT what I would call 'uncommon'!

Be careful and do take Robin's advice on the journal....it is a great aid in discovering exactly WHAT is causing problems!

Peace
Speber

[montse]

The percentage of fotosensibility is from 5 to 10 % , I think that it is important that they make you the tests in the EEG s, because nowadays we are with light stimulation in many places.

[speber]

[hawke86]

I have that with the florescent lights in the stores. I have be very careful when I'm shopping cause of the lights. Sometimes those light cause me to have a seizure.

[alivenwell]

Some, but not all, traffic lights have that strobe effect in PA.

They have them there for the idiots multi-tasking on the cell phone, drinking their soda and eating junk food while they're behind the wheel.

Some people in here have obtained special sunglasses. Maybe they'd be helpful?

[Loudmouth]

the glasses have photochromic lenses with reactor lenses that the particles are arranged vertically in one lens and horizontally in the other. They aren't necessarily cheap, but I have had great success with them,to the point where i was able to go to a rock concert with strobe lighting, and not heve a seizure. I haven't been able to go into even a nightclub for 5 years without having a seizure. The thing is they are not going to work for every person with photosensitive epilepsy,any more than one anti-epileptic drug will work for everyone. To get hold of them, ask around until you find an optician who 1)Knows what you are on about ,and 2)REFUSES to do the flashing light tests on you without an Paramedic/EMT present and until AFTER you have the lenses NEVER BEFORE,any optician who inflicts this test on someone with epilepsy without these precautions should be shot!!(they are not trained to deal with the consequences if it causes us to have a seizure, as I have found out!!,I now have a wonderful optician)There are also blue lenses that work for some. they must be a special kind of blue GLASS though, not the 'DIPPED' blue lenses that most opticians do. for the blue lenses you would have to speak to your neurologist about them.Opticians DONT stock the ones that help with seizures,regardless of what they tell you...

[dfwtexas]

Thanks for the info...I will track and follow up with my Doc next week.
I had never seen those red lights until I went to TN...I was surprised that it is legal to have those red light because of the seizure danger to the public. I hope someone sues the city or state and get rid of those lights. I know if they ever show up here in TX, I will call an attorney!

I did have a similiar problem while watching fireworks when they set off one with the strobe effect. It was only the strobe effect that bothered me.

[homemom360]

i have problems with stobe lights, during my first EEG they caused a peti to acure. i also have a problem with some video games. my husband has a playststion and an x-box and i learned the hard way that they don't put those seizure warnings on those games for no reason. in the last ten years he has played six diffrent games that caused me to have a seizure, and that was from watching, not playing.

[skillefer]

Actually, I don't think that photosensitivity is all that uncommon. I think that most of us are just inundated with lights most of the time and have desensitized ourselves. There's a special type of sunglass lens that's supposed to help. Blue Polycarbonate lenses...if I remember correctly. But they have to actually be blue lenses, and not just dipped.