Convulsive Effects of Light Stimulation in Children

FOR MANY years it has been known that convulsive disturbances can be produced as a result of stimulation by visual, auditory, tactile, or other sensory stimuli. Two patients whose attacks were precipitated by bright light were described by Gowers in 1881.¹Other similar patients were discussed by Holmes²and by Radovici, Misirliou, and Gluckman.³The latter authors described attacks in a young man, consisting of rhythmic upward movements of the head, blinking of the eyes, and rotation of the head toward the sun's rays. Strauss⁴reported on one patient in whom illumination of either eye by a flashing light caused a convulsion. It was noted that the flashing light was associated with 3-cycle-per-second (cps) waves of high voltage in the electroencephalogram. In reporting on three light-sensitive patients, Cobb⁵drew attention to the importance of flickering light in contrast to continuous illumination as an epileptogenic agent.