Frequently asked questions and answers on Visually-Provoked (Photosensitive) epilepsy

Abstract

Clinical experts associated with national epilepsy-related societies, led by the Epilepsy Foundation, collected, collated and answered "Frequently asked questions (FAQ)" of broad interest pertaining to visually-provoked seizures. Questions emerged from people with epilepsy, caretakers and healthcare professionals from different countries around the world. Focus is on practical implications of visually-provoked seizures. The top 5 most frequently asked questions were.1.How does a doctor make a diagnosis of visually-provoked seizures?2.What can I do in general to prevent visually-provoked seizures?3.Will I need antiseizure medications for my visually-provoked seizures?"4.Will I outgrow visually-provoked seizures? How will I know if I've outgrown them?5.How do I enable safety features to block content that could trigger seizures on social media, websites, phones, laptops and tablets?Answers were based on scientific evidence, where such information was available [1] and expert opinion when formal evidence was insufficient. Key answers included distinction of photoparoxysmal EEG findings versus light-provoked seizures. Typical provocation is by flashes at 10-25 per second or certain moving patterns. There is a genetic risk, which is outgrown in about half. Covering one or both eyes can prevent a light-provoked seizure. TV, videogames, virtual reality and 3D images are not in themselves provocative, but their content can be. Topics covered included: 1. Photosensitive epilepsy diagnosis; 2. Preventing visually-provoked seizures; 3. Do treatments help; 4. Life and behavioral decisions; 5. School; 6. Multi-media; 7. Children and youth.

Keywords: Epilepsy; Pattern-sensitive seizures; Photosensitive seizures; Reflex Epilepsy; Video game seizures.

Fig. 1

Flash-induced spike-waves.

Fig. 2

Percentage of people with light-provoked seizures who show a photoparoxysmal response at different flash frequencies. Most are between 10 and 25 Hz, especially 15–20 Hz. With permission from Epilepsia .