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Related Experiment Videos

Fluorescent lighting and epilepsy.

C D Binnie, R A de Korte, T Wisman

    Epilepsia
    |December 1, 1979
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Fluorescent lights flicker at 100 Hz, but aging can cause 50 Hz modulation. This study found that even with significant 50 Hz modulation, fluorescent lighting is unlikely to trigger seizures in photosensitive epilepsy patients.

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    Area of Science:

    • Neurology
    • Biophysics

    Background:

    • Fluorescent lights emit flicker at twice the mains frequency (100 Hz).
    • Aging fluorescent tubes can develop 50 Hz brightness modulation, affecting 42% of tubes surveyed.
    • Photosensitive epilepsy is a neurological condition triggered by visual stimuli.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the effect of fluorescent lighting flicker on the electroencephalograms (EEGs) of patients with photosensitive epilepsy.
    • To determine if common levels of fluorescent light modulation pose a risk to individuals with photosensitive epilepsy.

    Main Methods:

    • Studied the EEGs of 20 patients with photosensitive epilepsy.
    • Exposed patients to 100 Hz flicker from normally functioning fluorescent tubes.
    • Exposed sensitive patients to 50 Hz brightness modulation at varying depths.

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    Main Results:

    • No paroxysmal activity was elicited by the 100 Hz flicker from normally functioning tubes.
    • 50 Hz brightness modulation evoked epileptiform discharges in 8 of 13 sensitive subjects, but only at modulation depths of 50% or greater.
    • Observed modulation depths in practice were typically 20-30%.

    Conclusions:

    • Fluorescent lighting, even with age-related modulation, is unlikely to be a hazard for photosensitive epilepsy patients.
    • The flicker frequencies and modulation depths commonly encountered in practice do not appear to trigger seizures.