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Screens And Seizures

A MyEpilepsyTeam Member asked a question 💭
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

My wife says the more I stare at my computer screen, mobile phone or tv screen my seizure rate increases. Although I don't have photo sensitive epilepsy I don't know why this is happening.

Any ideas?

December 31, 2016
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A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

If you don't beleive your wife, why not keep a diary for six weeks, noting how much time you spend online, watching TV and so on along with how often you seize? If nothing else, it could be interesting to look at in six weeks.

December 31, 2016
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

I use a cheap $1.oo notebook along with my calendar. I write seizures in red ink so they're easier for me to see when I'm making notes for a doctor's appointment. Computers get viruses, then often take all your information - notebooks don't.

January 1, 2017
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

Stress and anxiety can also bring them on

December 31, 2016
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

Computers, TVs, movie screens (and I would presume modern mobile phones, ipads) have a thing called a hertz (hz) rate in them (background flickering rate). It is the refresh rate measured in hertz (Hz) that indicates how many times per second a monitor screen image is renewed. It varies from 60 Hz to 120 Hz. I set my computer down to 60 Hz as this is the happy spectrum for people with photosensitive epilepsy. Additionally I have found I cannot watch TV on the currently popular massive TV sets as I get "lost in it", or watch it for too long (take hourly head breaks - make a cup of tea or something). I also must watch it in a well lit room. If I don't take precautions I can have issues, such as pre-seizure indications where I feel like I falling into the TV set/image. Photosensitive epilepsy is experienced by 5% of people with epilepsy. You may be joining the elite club I am in :) Get a proper diagnosis of it first though. For me it is very obvious as it literally can trigger seizures or cause severe migraine like symptoms leading up to if I can't avoid the trigger. The link below tells you all about how to handle having photosensitive epilepsy when watching TV, playing video games, computers, lights, and known triggers when photosensitive.

http://www.epilepsy.org.au/about-epilepsy/under...

December 31, 2016 (edited)
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

I'm wondering if you have sensitivity to certain colors. I can't stare at police fire ambulance lights because they make my head feel wierd.

December 31, 2016

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