7 Healthcast: Video game seizures
But for 16-year-old Alice Soledar of Newton, playing a video game ended up being a hazard to her health.
Jessie Soledar, Alice's mom
"We didn't know for a long time that there was a problem from the games because we never saw anything happen."
But what they didn't see was that the video games were triggering seizures in Alice.
Dr. Michael Rich, Children's Hospital Boston
"Even people who don't have epilepsy can be triggered if they are predisposed to be triggered by these kinds of images in rapid succession."
Doctors at Children's Hospital Boston pin pointed Alice's problem.
Dr. Michael Rich, Children's Hospital Boston
"She was moody, she didn't sleep well, she did not do well in school, she had headaches and what her mother observed- was that she would seem to zone out while playing and sort of freeze, and this is a form of seizure known as absence seizure or petit mal seizure."
Jessie Soledar, Alice's mom
"She had no history of epilepsy, and we never saw anything that looked like a seizure, she wasn't aware that she was having anything like that either."
Video game seizures aren't common, but they have been known to occur.
In Japan, it's believed a Pokeman video caused more than 700 kids to have seizures.
For Alice, it's no more video games!
Alice Soledar, suffered from seizures
"I miss being able to do them, but I know its for my health, and I am ok with that,"
And as a precaution she wears special glasses when watching TV.
Alice Soledar, suffered from seizures
"Well, they're cross polarized. They block out a lot of the glare and red color -the red is the worst."
But doctors say the best prevention is recognizing the problem early.
Dr. Michael Rich, Children's Hospital Boston
"So if parents can have that level of awareness and that level of observation of their own children and recognize that media can have these effects, the kids will be safer."
A lot of video games contain warnings on them as a disclaimer, so be sure to check before buying a game.
And if you think your child may have suffered a seizure from playing a game, get them checked out by a doctor, because if untreated it could lead to long term damage.
(Copyright (c) 2009 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

