Flicker Illness

For those who suffer from headaches they may also experience accompanying symptoms which only increase their pain and discomfort. Trying to determine the cause of headaches can be one of the most difficult aspects of understanding your pain and subsequently treating it. If your headaches are occurring alongside symptoms such as nausea and dizziness it is possible that you are suffering from flicker illness.

What Causes Flicker Illness?

The culprit implicated in flicker illness is actually one that is benign to most of us. Flicker illness is triggered by just what the name implies - flickering lights. This could be anything from sunlight flickering on water to the flickering light on a building railing or wall. The term itself is a new one and was created by researchers from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in New York. While the symptoms may mimic those of motion sickness - painful headaches, nausea and vertigo they can also involve more extreme ones of seizures, which tends to occur in patients with photosensitive epilepsy.

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What Sources of Light Trigger Flicker Illness?

In fact, one recent report found that light flowing through the fast-moving helicopter blades when patients were medically transported to hospitals caused the symptoms of flicker illness. Although this is a very specific example of flicker illness that doesn't apply to most people, others may find that a simple day outside is interrupted by the headaches and nausea that result from the flickering sunlight.

Other triggers include strobe lights, which are commonly found at nightclubs and concerts. It has been known for some time that strobe lights can trigger epileptic seizures but it is more recently that flickering lights have been implicated in headaches and related symptoms in otherwise healthy individuals. It can be difficult to pinpoint flicker illness as the cause, which is partly due to it being poorly recognised.

Even flickering lights on a television or in video games can trigger the symptoms of flicker illness. If you find that you repeatedly suffer from headaches only when playing specific video games, it is worth taking a break to see if the headaches subside. For those who suffer from flicker illness due to otherwise benign triggers such as sunlight in the trees when driving, over-the-counter pain relievers may be used as a temporary measure to offer some relief. Some individuals might also find that wearing a hat with a wide rim helps to offset the glare from the sunlight. Still others may obtain relief from appropriate protective eyewear to further reduce the exposure to flickering sunlight.

Although flicker illness is still a relatively new medical concept, it is thought that it may become more widely reported as information surfaces regarding the effects, particularly for those who may have chronic headaches, seemingly without cause. Since flicker illness is still not widely recognized, it can be a challenge to cope with the headaches and array of symptoms that seem to be without treatment. Unfortunately, not much can be done to prevent it, with the exception of avoiding sunny days but it is hoped that research will yield strategies and perhaps medications to prevent the symptoms of flicker illness.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Headache Type Identifier lets you describe your headache and we will help you identify the most likely type and what typically helps. Try it now →