Television-Induced Seizures

According to the Epilepsy Foundation more than three million Americans are affected by epilepsy, a seizure disorder.  For about three percent of these people, their television-induced seizures are triggered by exposure to flashing lights or certain visual patterns.  This condition is known as photosensitive epilepsy (PSE), and it is more common in children and adolescents.  It is important to note that not all television-induced seizure cases are related to epilepsy.

Television-induced seizure symptoms

Symptoms that indicate an individual may have a television-induced seizure disorder range from mild to severe:

• Headaches
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Vision problems
• Confusion
• Occasional seizures
• Recurrent seizures, which may indicate epilepsy

Seizures are more likely to occur when watching a faulty television with a flickering display.  Another common cause is programs with flickering lights or jumping camera shots, which are prevalent in today’s television programs.  Seizures can be triggered by many factors, including these:

• Brightness of a display
• The frequency of the flash
• Contrast
• Distance from the display
• The light’s wavelength

Other types of television-induced seizure cases

Television is not the source of television-induced seizures.  Video game exposure is a major cause of seizures, with children and adolescents, who are more prone to photosensitive epilepsy, representing the largest group of players.  Types of video game seizures and related problems are the same as described in the television-induced seizure information.  Although video games are not recognized as the actual cause of PSE, they are cited as commonly triggering the first symptoms in PSE patients.

For more information on television-induced seizures

The Epilepsy Foundation provides guidelines that anyone affected by television or video games can use to reduce the risk of seizures and other negative effects.