The Evil Gleam
November 11, 2007 by Sara Ost
Filed under Extreme, Healthcare, Your Body
No, Frodo, no!
Do you know about flicker illness? Long a staple of poetry, undulating sunlight on surfaces such as water is also a health problem. A serious one. Flicker illness can provoke symptoms as mild (but unpleasant) as nausea and vertigo to severe, even fatal, photosensitive seizures. Dappled ponds and stained glass windows aren’t the only sources of concern. Earlier this year, experts expressed concern over the risk to emergency patients being transported in helicopters. Shiny blades, glaring sun, and an already compromised human do not a pretty picture make.
Photosensitive epilepsy is known to affect at least 1 in 4,000 people, but scientists think the number is probably much higher than that, and certainly higher for flicker illness. Forget ladders and broken mirrors. Avoid churches and vacations.
- Photo: Kalense Kid on Flickr
