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Photosensitive Seizures

Imagine walking outside or into a mall or office and suddenly, you're
having a seizure. For people with a rare form of epilepsy, it can happen as often as every day. It's called a Photosensitive Seizure. We're going to introduce you to one woman who lives with this disturbing condition and learn how she deals with it.

Kristina Schreck/Photosensitive Seizure patient -"Please don't make me talk."

This past summer, doctors at the Cleveland clinic exposed 23-year-old Kristina Schreck to a strobe light and that's all it took. She was instantly thrown into a violent grand mal seizure and she's brave enough to share the hospital video of her disturbing experience.

It would be just one of the more than 150 photosensitive seizures Kristina
would have since she was diagnosed six years ago.

Kristina Schreck - "They hurt, when you wake up you're just so sore."

Photosensitive seizures are induced by light. Any kind of light can be the trigger. Each patient is a little different. For some, lights from the television, video games, computers, even the sun reflected off the snow will set off a seizure.

For Kristina, strobe lights and fluorescent lights are what trigger her seizures.

Kristina - "Going to mall or video stores."

Kristina does her best to avoid places with fluorescent lighting but when she can't, she is prepared.

Kristina - "I put on my hat and glasses and I run."

Dr. Drury is a neurologist, specializing in epilepsy at the University of Michigan hospital. He says just one percent of the population has epilepsy and it's patients with the very rare forms of the disorder, like Kristina's, that experience Photosensitive seizures.

Dr. Drury - "Probably about 1 percent of that 1 percent. So in other words, one person in 100-thousand would probably have a photosensitive seizure."

Dr. Drury adds, seizures can be very dangerous if a patient is in a threatening environment.

Dr. Drury - "Any seizure can be potentially fatal, particularly in grand mal seizures if you have it when you're near hazardous surrounding, that could do it."

Kristina's medication occasionally slows her down. And even when just spending time with friends, she's always wondering when her next seizure might hit. But Kristina is doing better, her seizures used to strike once a week. Now they're about once a month. And if they happen in public, Kristina wants all of us to remember something.

Kristina - "It's not contagious, not going to get it by touching someone having a seizure. Life goes on not the end of the world and I just want to make people
aware that I'm just like everybody else."


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