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Deadevil129
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17 Aug 2005, 8:10 am

Hello, I guess I should say hi first since I'm new here and this is my first topic. :)
I'm not too sure if I'm posting this in the right place but general discussion seemed a fitting place for mostly everything.

Anyway, I'm 16 years old and have undiagnosed Asperger's syndrome (I am undiagnosed for reasons I'd rather not go into.) For as long as I can remember I've always hated strobe lights, I avoid them entirely if I can and shut my eyes when I'm around them. It seems as if whenever I look at them it's almost as if my consiousness is altered for lack of a better term :P. Everthing around me starts to move really slowly, I loose control of my arm and facial muscles, they don't move or anything, the just sort of go limp. I also get very dizzy and find it hard to stay standing. I can't think of anything except concentrating on getting away from the light. What is this? and does anyone else feel anything similar?



Jetson
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17 Aug 2005, 8:47 am

Strobes are known to trigger epileptic seizures, so it's not surprising that other neurological impairments would be impacted. I have a whole range of responses (from trance to nausea to overload to pleasure to no effect at all) that seem to vary according to the frequency.


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17 Aug 2005, 10:35 am

I can't stand stroble lights, or anything like them(driving past a row of trees when the sun is setting is a pretty good imitation of strobe lights) I get migraines from them, most things that flash give me headaches.



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17 Aug 2005, 10:49 am

Deadevil129 wrote:
It seems as if whenever I look at them it's almost as if my consiousness is altered for lack of a better term :P. Everthing around me starts to move really slowly, I loose control of my arm and facial muscles, they don't move or anything, the just sort of go limp. I also get very dizzy and find it hard to stay standing. I can't think of anything except concentrating on getting away from the light. What is this? and does anyone else feel anything similar?


Without a doubt this sounds like seizures. You may want to get checked out by a neurologist. They will have you watch a strobe light while they run an EEG. If it is seizure activity it can be treated and then you may not hate strobe lights as much.

I have just gone totally "abscent" when looking at blinking lights.


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rhubarbpluscustard
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17 Aug 2005, 2:01 pm

I know what you mean. When under any kind of flashing lights I flinch uncontrollably. At my school prom they had flashing lights and loud music and, considering that my friends had to cajole me into coming anyway, I don’t know why I didn’t flee.



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17 Aug 2005, 2:44 pm

I don't like them very much either, to be honest.



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17 Aug 2005, 3:33 pm

They make me space out. Other than that, I think they're awesome.


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Serissa
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17 Aug 2005, 3:48 pm

I like them in short bursts; they have cool effects. However continuous exposure makes me nauseous.



Sean
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17 Aug 2005, 4:01 pm

Speaking of strobe lights, have you seen hale_bopp's new avatar? Once I get Firefox working right, I'm going to have to block that thing.



chamoisee
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17 Aug 2005, 5:24 pm

Strobe lights, eeeek!!



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18 Aug 2005, 10:21 am

They give me headaches!

But they are cool for short periods of time.


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18 Aug 2005, 1:31 pm

Could be a sensory issue associated with AS-- the not liking them part-- but also the flickering might be really throwing off your inner ear (similar to spinning around and then getting dizzy) since strobe lights can give an impression/feeling of movement.


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19 Aug 2005, 9:53 pm

Mockingbird wrote:
I can't stand stroble lights, or anything like them(driving past a row of trees when the sun is setting is a pretty good imitation of strobe lights) I get migraines from them, most things that flash give me headaches.


Ditto from that. I also feel really nauseated when I'm around flashing lights, no matter what kind they are.

Hey, how do you block an avatar without blocking the poster? Anyone?


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renaeden
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19 Aug 2005, 10:11 pm

I think this is a good point.
About two years ago I had an EEG and didn't enjoy it. Then in hospital last year they took me for another one and they virtually had to drag me. I found the effect worse with my eyes closed. I wonder if they would have the same effect if they were coloured instead of the bright white they use.
This may be related to the reason why I got an LCD computer screen instead of CRT (cathode ray tube). I can see the refresh rates on CRTs as well as the flickering of fluorescent lights.
This may have had an effect on some of us when we were (or still are) in school.



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19 Aug 2005, 10:28 pm

Strobe lights can make me very disoriented and anxious, however, if I am able to let myself relax and just experiance the sensation, I find it quite fun, a little bit of a buzz really. :twisted: :D :twisted:



kevv729
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03 Oct 2005, 12:22 am

Strobe lights do a number on me I get disoriented can put me in a trance if I watch them. They make my eyes hurt as well and give me headaches too.