Epilepsy Action has received numerous reports of people having epileptic seizures as a result of seeing the animated footage used to launch the 2012 Olympic brand, with its flashing and moving multicoloured images.
Professor Graham Harding, a leading expert in the field of photosensitive epilepsy, has advised us that the animated footage has failed to meet the Ofcom safety guidelines and should not have been screened. The animated footage could affect the 23,000 people in the UK who have photosensitive epilepsy and may also affect other people who do not yet know that they are photosensitive. We are grateful to the Olympics Committee for withdrawing the animated footage and we hope that this version of the animated footage is not screened further until it is known that it poses no risk to people who are photosensitive.
The animated footage incorporates both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which is ironic as the latter is a showcase for athletes with disabilities. We are concerned that the animated footage will not just be shown in the UK, where half a million people in the population have epilepsy, but it will also be shown all over the world. People can strive for years to gain seizure control and it is important that nothing puts this at risk. For people who have had complete seizure control, having a breakthrough seizure could have a huge impact on their lives and could affect their employment, education and social opportunities, not least through the loss of a person’s driving licence.
Photosensitive epilepsy is the name given to a form of epilepsy in which seizures are provoked by flickering light encountered in every day life. Most people with photosensitive epilepsy are sensitive to flickering around 16-25Hz, although some people may be sensitive to rates as low as 3Hz and as high as 60Hz.
We are asking anyone who has experienced problems after viewing the animated footage of the 2012 Olympic logo to get in touch. If you live in the UK you can phone the Epilepsy Helpline (freephone) on 0808 800 5050 for further information about epilepsy. There is a charge when people from outside the UK contact the Epilepsy Helpline.
We advise people who want to make a complaint about the flashing animation to contact Ofcom on 020 7981 3040.