Strobes

Most people in life have some sort of fear, many have more than one. Spiders, heights, divorce and failure are all considered reasonable and just things to fear even although not everyone fears them, and from those that do, not everyone fears them to the same degree. No one can deny that fear exists and fear is as individual as your fingerprints.

I do not like wood louse and can never manage to dispose of them myself. I hate being stuck in the middle of a crowd of people and I panic at the thought of disappointing my parents. When it comes to thinking of a topic I truly fear however, there is only one topic I can think of: the loss of control that comes when having a seizure and as a result – strobe lights.

Strobes are used to provide regular flashes of light and are used in industry and science. However, as a student, I am most likely to come across them in clubs where they are used to give the effect of slow motion. They are white in colour and flash so quickly, many people can be disorientated when they are in use.

I first came across a strobe light when I was in hospital after my first ever seizure. A common test used by neurologists to diagnose epilepsy is the EEG – a test which measures the brain’s electrical activity. By placing a strobe light in front of me whilst I was linked to the machine, any potential seizures I would have because of the light would be recorded on the EEG machine and a satisfactory conclusion could be made as to my diagnosis.

I was twelve years old when I had my first EEG and I was told about the strobe light beforehand. However, I did not know that the doctor perceived a potential seizure and as I had little experience of seizures I did not know what it would feel like. However, seconds after the light had been switched on I remember feeling “strange”. My arm began to move without my consent and my blood ran cold. Thankfully, the doctor, who was watching the monitor, stopped the light when she realised what was about to happen.

Since that test, I have had a fear of coming across strobe lights but unfortunately they are almost impossible to avoid. For my 21st birthday, The Mother bought me tickets to see Lord of the Dance. Unfortunately the strobe lights were on almost continually, which meant I had to spend the majority of the time covering one eye. What was the point in using strobes for a dance performance? They certainly didn’t add any enjoyment to it for me, and when we were leaving we overheard a woman complaining about the lights and how they had given her a headache.

Luckily, photosensitivity in epilepsy is relatively uncommon – less than 5% of people with epilepsy are photosensitive and even with those who are, medication should be able to control it. Despite this, most people without much knowledge of epilepsy assume that everyone with epilepsy is affected “by lights”. However it is only a small amount of people with epilepsy that are affected by certain types of lights.