Security Strobe Lights & Epilepsy

Photosensitivity

• An estimated 3 million Americans are affected by epilepsy, and for a small percentage of these people, epileptic seizures can be triggered by flashing lights, TV, video games and computer screens. Such photosensitivity can also cause seizures in people who do not have epilepsy. Whether epileptic or not, many people are unaware that they are sensitive to flashing lights until experiencing a light-triggered seizure.

Precautions

• The frequency of a flashing light may determine its likelihood of acting as a seizure trigger. Generally, frequencies between five and 30 flashes per second have been shown to trigger the greatest number of seizures in photosensitive individuals. Therefore, set your strobe light to flash at a frequency lower than five or greater than 30 per second. Consider drivers who may have undetected photosensitivity and do not angle your strobe light into the street or in a way that drivers have to look directly at the strobe when passing your house. Strobe lights affect the estimation of distance, so can be dangerous for drivers even if they are not photosensitive.

Liability

• There are no overarching regulations regarding strobe lights, however, you should consider your liability should you use a strobe that triggers a seizure. Many public places, such as dance clubs, post warnings regarding use of strobes, so that visitors with known photosensitivity can choose whether to enter that environment. Likewise, television programs containing strobe images often carry an initial warning. At your home, you may wish to place a warning sign notifying visitors of the strobe light--this would also function as an added crime deterrent by alerting potential intruders to the presence of a strobe.

Family

• Photosensitive seizures are particularly prevalent in children and adolescents, and even pets can have epileptic seizures. So consider carefully whether you want to expose any children in the home to strobe lights. Minimize the risk of seizures by setting the strobe to a very low frequency, and be aware of what to do in the event of a family member having a seizure.

Seizure Response

• Witnessing an epileptic seizure can be just as frightening as experiencing one. You can minimize the risk of injury to the person having a seizure, by following some simple procedures. Move any furniture or other objects away from the person having the seizure and place blankets or soft clothing under the person's head. Do not attempt to move the person unless they are in danger (near a fire or swimming pool). Do not place any items in the person's mouth (the old advice about putting a spoon in someone's mouth during a seizure is more dangerous than helpful). Call an ambulance for a first seizure, or if any seizure lasts more than 5 minutes without the person regaining consciousness.