What is Photosensitive Epilepsy?

In December of 1997 almost 700 Japanese children arrived at hospitals after watching an episode of the popular television show, Pokémon. A number of the children had suffered tonic-clonic, or grand mal, seizures. This photosensitive epilepsy was especially frightening, as it could occur in people who had never had a seizure before.

The Pokémon incident and others like it created a great deal of concern over children watching anime and playing video games. More than a decade later, epilepsy forums are still seeing questions about whether children can safely watch flashing lights of any kind. The most recent technology to raise concerns is that of 3D movies and television. Parents want to know whether watching Avatar and other 3D movies will trigger seizures in epileptics - and if it is possible for the movies to cause seizures in children previously undiagnosed with epilepsy.

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Photo © Mary R. Vogt (morguefile.com/Taliesin)