Some visual media may be responsible for some seizures

We can't escape the high-tech revolution: computers, video games and television. The vivid images are hard to turn away from, but doctors say some people should.

"The video arcades can be a breeding ground for a number of problems. There is a lot of visual stimulation around you that can cause headaches or seizures," Scripps Mercy neurologist Dr. James Santigo Grisolia said.

Flashing images and certain patterns on televisions, video games, computers and other video screens can trigger seizures in people who may be unaware they have sensitivity to visual stimulation or photosensitivity.

"If you are looking at flashing lights that are coming at five times a second, then maybe 25 times a second, there is an increased risk of causing seizures," Grisolia said.


Eight years ago, a Pokeman cartoon made hundreds of Japanese children sick.

"There was a certain frequency of flashing and 700 Japanese school children ended up in the emergency room," Grisolia said.

Now, children are exposed to this type of stimulation much more frequently.

"People that could have gone their whole lives without having a seizure, now there is a bigger chance of them having a seizure then some years ago," Grisolia said.

Teresa Quiroz has epilepsy and her seizures sometimes happen when she is scrolling a document on the computer.

"I throw myself around, all my muscles jerk, and I fall to the floor," Quiroz said.

She said she limits both her time on the computer and watching television. Video games are definitely out.

"I don't play videogames because they make me feel very ill," she said.

The Epilepsy Foundation is so concerned, the organization has issued new recommendations for families on how to limit the risk of seizures. They are:

Children should take frequent breaks.

Reduce the brightness of the screen.

Stop playing if strange or unusual feelings or twitching or body jerks develop.

Use a flicker-free computer monitor.

Watch television in a well-light room.

Watch television and play video games as far back as possible.

Avoid watching television or playing video games when you are tired.

"The movie industry, the videogame industry have been looking very closely at the scientific information the Epilepsy Foundation has put together and trying to modify things so that there is less problems in the future," Grisolia said.

If you are concerned about flashing lights and believe you or your child may have photically triggered seizures, check with your doctor. A test called an EEG can assess how you respond to flashing lights.