Photosensitivity: The Magnitude of the Problem

Abstract

Summary: Very few studies of photosensitivity or visual sensitive epilepsy could be called epidemiologic in the strict sense, that is, giving well-based incidence and prevalence rates of a well-defined clinical and electroencephalographic syndrome or group of syndromes. The available data suggest that photosensitivity is rare in the population as a whole, with an annual incidence rate around one case per 100,000 population. The incidence goes up to almost six per 100,000 in the late adolescent period, the age group at the highest risk. Well-established concepts, such as statements that one in 4,000 of the general population or that 10% of all epilepsy patients would be photosensitive, should be reevaluated. The more likely figures are a lifetime prevalence of one in 10,000 in the general population, perhaps as low as 2%, of the epilepsy population. Further epidemiologic studies, sensu strictu, are warranted to settle the basic question of the real incidence and prevalence of photoparoxysmal responses (PPRs) and epilepsy with seizures provoked by visual stimuli in the community.

IPS Interest in the EEG of Patients after a Single Epileptic Seizure

“…A number of studies have reported the higher incidence of PPD in females compared to males [15–18]. This observation was thus confirmed not only in patients with single seizures but also in epileptic patients [15] and the peak age was during adolescence [19]. In our study, males outnumbered females.…”

A Case of Temporal Onset Partial Seizure Induced by Photic Stimuli

“…A quarter of patients with spontaneous seizures and EEG photosensitivity belong to a variety of idiopathic epileptic syndromes, such as juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, childhood absence epilepsy and epilepsy with grand mal on awakening 1. The overall annual incidence of cases with newly presenting seizures and unequivocal photosensitivity in the United Kingdom is 2% of all new cases with epileptic seizures 3. The photoparoxysmal response pattern is usually a generalized polyspikes and slow waves.…”

Do reflex seizures and spontaneous seizures form a continuum? – Triggering factors and possible common mechanisms

“…The high comorbidity of interictal depression and anxiety in MTLE patients could thus be related to induced affective changes due to recurrent seizures. Equally interesting, patients with psychiatric comorbidities seem to report seizure triggers more frequently, although emotional stress was not specifically reported more often [7].…”

“…Photosensitivity occurs in approximately 2% of patients with epilepsy [7] and is more frequent in certain syndrome categories such as idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) [8]. Research regarding underlying mechanisms of photosensitivity has received Recent changes in the understanding and classification of reflex seizures have fuelled a debate on triggering mechanisms of seizures and their conceptual organization.…”