Understanding Epilepsy & UK Media Rules

Key Facts About Photosensitive Epilepsy

• What is it? A type of epilepsy where seizures can be triggered by flashing or flickering lights, or certain geometric patterns. Only about 3-5% of people with epilepsy have this specific sensitivity.
• Common Triggers: While triggers are personal, common ones include strobe lights, faulty CRT screens, and rapidly changing visual patterns in videos or games.
• It's More Than Just Rate: The speed of a flash is important, but so are its brightness, the area of the screen it covers, and the colours used (especially saturated reds).

UK Rules on Flashing Images (Ofcom Guidelines)

This tool's risk assessment is based on the official Ofcom guidelines for UK broadcasters. The key triggers it checks for are:

• Rapid Flashing: Flashing images should not flash at a rate of more than three times per second (3 Hz). The risk is higher if the flash covers a large area of the screen.
• Dangerous Patterns: High-contrast, regular patterns (like stripes or checkerboards) that take up a large portion of the screen can be a trigger, even if they are not flashing.
• Saturated Red Flashes: Any flash that involves a transition to or from a **fully saturated red** is considered potentially harmful and a high risk.