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New Tool Tests For Seizure-Inducing Content

by Caleb Johnson on August 8, 2009 at 10:17 AM


While it's a fairly rare disorder, photosensitive epilepsy came to the forefront of the public consciousness in the late '90s when hundreds of Japanese children had seizures while watching a cartoon. Since then, TV shows, video games, and other forms of media have been better tested to make sure they don't induce fits. The Web, though, has remained largely untamed.

That might change soon, thanks to some groundbreaking research conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. According to the Associated Press (AP), researchers have created the Photosensitive Epilepsy Analysis Tool (PEAT), which measures how fast an image blinks on the Web. After they have ascertained that information, researchers can decide whether or not a particular image poses the risk of causing a seizure. University of Rochester neurology professor Dr. Giuseppe Erba told the AP that this tool will hold Web developers more responsible for what they put on the Net.

The best thing? The tool is completely free, making it that much more simple for developers to use. This should help the one in every 4,000 folks who suffer from photosensitive epilepsy. Still, those with the disorder should remain wary of what they're viewing online. [From: AP/Newsvine]

Tags: epilepsy, health, photosensitive epilepsy, PhotosensitiveEpilepsy, research, seizure, top, web

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