Call for broadcast warnings of flashing images

The introduction of broadcast guidelines in Ireland to protect people with photosensitive epilepsy has been called for by Brainwave, the Irish Epilepsy Association.

The most common trigger for photosensitive epilepsy in Europe is the domestic television set, according to Prof Graham Harding of Aston University, Birmingham, who contributed to the development of broadcast guidelines on flashing images and regular patterns in the UK.

In the UK, Guidelines on Flashing Images and Regular Patterns in Television have existed since 1993 and other countries have since followed the UK’s lead on the issue. However, no such guidelines exist in Ireland.

“There have been a number of instances internationally where broadcast material has triggered seizures in susceptible individuals, most famously in Japan in 1997 when an episode of the Pokemon cartoon triggered 560 seizures as a result of four seconds of alternating saturated red and blue light used in the programme,” Prof Harding said.

As a result of this incident, broadcast guidelines were introduced in Japan to reduce the incidence of photosensitive seizures.

According to Mike Glynn, CEO of Brainwave, guidelines have been very effective internationally in reducing the problem for individuals who may be photosensitive. Epilepsy charities in the UK have noted a marked decrease in the number of problems reported since the incorporation of the latest guidelines, while studies in Japan have shown a significant reduction in referrals for photosensitive epilepsy since their guidelines were introduced.

“The development of Irish guidelines would help protect the health of people with photosensitive epilepsy, many of whom do not know they are photosensitive until they have their first seizure,” said Mr Glynn.

Photosensitivity is sensitivity to flickering or intermittent light stimulation and visual patterns. It affects approximately one in 4,000 people, or about 3 to 5% of all people with epilepsy. The onset of photosensitive epilepsy in an individual occurs typically around the time of puberty and three-quarters of patients remain photosensitive for life.

Prof Harding, who is one of the world’s foremost experts in photosensitivity, will be the keynote speaker in a Memorial Lecture hosted by Brainwave as part of Brain Awareness Week 2009, which takes place from March 9 to 15. The Memorial Lecture will mark the life and career of Dr Robert Bentley Todd (1809 to 1860), an Irish physician who was the first to identify the role of electricity in epilepsy.

The event aims to highlight Dr Todd’s contribution to the condition and to raise awareness of the issue of photosensitivity.

“Dr Todd’s electrical theory and his contribution to epilepsy knowledge have not yet been properly acknowledged, something Brainwave aims to change through the Robert Bentley Todd memorial lecture,” said Mr Glynn.

The lecture, held in association with the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, will take place in the Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin, on Thursday, March 12 at 11am. Anyone wishing to attend can reserve a place by calling Brainwave at 01 4557500 or emailing info@epilepsy.ie.

For more information on Brain Awareness Week, the international awareness campaign organised annually to highlight neurological conditions, see www.nai.ie, the website of the Neurological Alliance of Ireland. For more information on the work of Brainwave or on epilepsy, see www.epilepsy.ie.

For Irishhealth.com's epilepsy clinic, see http://www.irishhealth.com/clin/epilepsy/index.html

[Posted: Wed 04/03/2009]