Epilepsy and Photosensitivity

Normally, the activity in your brain is a lot of neurons in your brain firing at different times. The activity in these neurons are highly regulated and there inhibitory systems in place to make sure they don't fire out of control. Right now, many of your brain regions are active processing the fact card you are reading here, but they are all working indecently of each other. Epilepsy, a treatable neurological disorder that is characterized by seizures (where a burst of uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain occours) has been part of human and medical history for years with early documentation dating back to Babylonian tablets all the way back to 2000BCE. The condition has been examined by doctors and neurologists over the years. However one form of epilepsy has garnered a good amount of attention in recent years and that is Photosensitive Epilepsy.

Photosensitive Epilepsy is when a person can have seizure when exposed to flashing and flickering lights. The earliest report of PSE came about in 1981 when reports of some video games were triggering epileptic seizures but it wasn't until 1997 when two Japanese cartoons (also called Animés) sent some of the viewers to the hospital after having a seizure with the second one, an episode of Pokémon called Computer Soldier Porygon saw hundreds of susceptible viewers seize after a sequence of flickering colourful lights flashed upon their TV screens in Japan.

While there had been Flashing light warnings before 1997, they only became a common thing afterwards with Japanese animé usually advising that the viewer should watch in a well-lit room and not too close to the screen. However the most common warning you will find is usually one that strongly advises that the viewer is aware of the presence of flashing images and lights in the programme which will deter the person with epilepsy from watching. Some programmes are edited by TV stations and streaming services where the potentially triggering scene is darkened or shortened. The love saint, St Valentine is the patron saint of Epilepsy and International Epilepsy Day is commemorated annually on 8th February.